Edward J. Lewis

Edward J. "Eddie" Lewis (May 30, 1937 – November 30, 2006) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist.

Early life and education Lewis was born in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, the son of Eugene Lebowitz, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant who lost family members to the Holocaust. After graduating from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania Law School on a full scholarship, he embarked upon a brief law career in Philadelphia before moving back to his native Pittsburgh. On the advice of his father, Lewis changed his name from Lebowitz to Lewis to avoid antisemitism. In 1965, at age 28, Lewis and his partners embarked on an ambitious project to develop South Hills Village, Pittsburgh’s first indoor mall and one of the first two-story enclosed shopping malls in the United States. Originally named Turnberry, they renamed the site Aventura from the Spanish word for "adventure" after Lewis reportedly remarked "What an adventure this is going to be." Lewis and his partners set about to build an upper class development centered around the Aventura Country Club with a golf course designed by architect Robert Trent Jones. Lewis' firm quickly flourished into the multi-faceted real estate development corporation that is Oxford Development Company.

Lewis was the chairman of the board of his family-owned company, which continues to be a prominent player in commercial and residential real estate.

Personal life and death Lewis died on November 30, 2006, from complications related to lung cancer. The family-owned company has been passed on to his wife, Anne, his four children, his sister Myrna and his brother-in-law Mark Mason. Longtime executive Steven J. Guy currently leads the company's day-to-day operations. Despite keeping a low profile with the press, Lewis' famed yacht Monkey Business became an internationally known household name after a visit by Presidential-hopeful Gary Hart sunk his political campaign.