Dick and Janeen Schmaedeke exit the Pump Room, located inside the Ambassador East Hotel, 1300 N. State Street, in January. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) Below: New owner Ian Schrager in 2000. (AP Photo) .
By Wailin Wong |
Ian Schrager is officially the new owner of the Ambassador East hotel
and the legendary Pump Room restaurant, and the famous hotelier has
ambitious plans to restore the grandeur of the faded Gold Coast
landmarks.
“It already has great DNA,” Schrager told the Tribune in an interview.
“It already has this great ethos and history and tradition. So it’s a
matter of going back in there and coming with a product that’s
distinguishable from everything else in the marketplace.”
Schrager officially took over the hotel at 1300 N. State St., on Thursday. His acquisition of
the property has been the subject of speculation for nearly a year.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, though he reportedly
offered $25 million for the property. Local developers Peter Dumon and
David Bossy, along with a former partner, purchased the 285-room
Ambassador East for $44.5 million in 2005.
Schrager kept mum on what the renovated property would look like. Planning will take about nine to 10 months, and the project itself another year. He said it has not been decided whether the hotel and restaurant will be closed during the renovation.
The hotelier, whose wife hails from Evanston, said he’s sensitive to the hotel’s place in Chicago culture and is aware of previous controversies over the remakes of local icons, such as Macy’s acquisition of Marshall Field’s.
“For a hotel in the city to be successful, it has to be embraced and supported by the local people,” he said. “We’ll go in there with that purpose in mind.”
The Ambassador East opened in 1926, followed by the Pump Room in 1938. The restaurant, which for years was a celebrity hub for Hollywood stars and celebrities such as Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra, had recently downsized its menu and scaled back operations.
Schrager, who was one of the owners of Studio 54 in New York, is credited as the pioneer of the boutique hotel concept. The Ambassador East is his first Chicago property.
“To me, (Chicago is) a very elegant city,” Schrager said. “I think it has probably the most beautiful architecture in all of America and I just love the people, the simplicity, the basic honesty. We’re going to try to do something that fits. We want to do a Chicago hotel. We’re not looking to do a New York or California hotel in Chicago.”
Ian Schrager is one of the most famous hoteliers in the world! He created the minimalistic boutique hotel craze that W Hotels and many others have copied. It’s about time he had a Chicago property. This is great news for Ambassador East and Chicago in general.
Now if they could only revive the old Edgewater Beach Hotel. The golden age of Hollywoods other famous Chicago hang-out.
Sometimes bars like the Pump Room have been left behind for a reason, it’s time has past and now it is time to leave it to memories.
Finally someone who wants to preserve or restore instead of destroy. See ya in Heaven, Ian.
M Field
To Au Revoir, why leave the Pump Room to memories it is a beautiful place with rich history, finally someone has come to bring it back to what it once was, the buildings and interiors in Chicago once had grandeur now most of them look like minimalistic cookie cutter plain joints with no thought going into them..Its better to preserve than to destroy..
Stephen J | April 2, 2010 1:42 PM | Reply
Now if they could only revive the old Edgewater Beach Hotel. The golden age of Hollywoods other famous Chicago hang-out.
The Edgewater Beach Hotel was torn down in the 1960s. Park Place Tower was built on the site in 1973.
It’s the pop culture element as well as the marketing strategy that facinates me here. The picture accompanying this article features 50-60 years ago radio and movie stars — and an era of celebrity of Hedda Hopper, double features, and a time when Hollywood stars were actually worried about sex out of weblock. Can you imagine!!!! Not exactly todays territory for Lady Gaga or even the mature Madonna. What in gods name will be the customer profile of the refurbished Plump? — of course its a trade secret now — but, come on — are the cool young crowd going to come to this spot? If so, the Tribune and Chicago needs to clarify just what they mean by cool, hip or fashionable – the new Chicago way, perhaps. I predict it’s going to be a nostalgia room — the place where stars of yesteryear stoppped by for a drink, where the stars made their bows to the local press publicity machine, and then moved on to where — somewheres that the rubes weren’t staring – please Trib tells us the secret spots. I predict the new Pump will be the place where 50+ types can have a drink, eat a big sandwitch (will they have named sandwitches? sooo historical) and then bop back to the room for some quality cable and a good nite’s sleep. The other likelihood is a condo-hotel mix –high end both ways, with a tax break on the Room for keeping it historical –whatever that may mean, will air conditioning be allowed? I suppose the worse that could happen would be if the new Pump becomes a regular stop on the Greyline Tour — yo, 30 minutes people, everybody out for a classic martini and photo with the maitre d’. Drink and tip pre-paid, photo extra. Plus ca change.
@sofball – Lady Gaga?? She hasn’t been pregnant yet. Try Brangelina, for instance …
Anyway, it would be nice to restore the Pump Room with a modern twist instead of making it another Studio 54 with people doing drugs & other things not fit for a family paper.
@steve – Please move forward with your life. They don’t even spell “heaven” with a capital H anymore. A clunky name like “Marshall Fields” wouldn’t fit in the 21st century. Chicago will never be a global city if we keep hanging on to things that no longer work.
The Edgewater Beach Hotel was not torn down. It is condos now. See reference: the Chicago History Museum.
For a second there I thought they were talking about the Pump Room down in Worth. I’d be more excited about that place re-opening!
Hey Jeannie in a Bottle, If that what it takes to be a Global city (NOT) then i imagine MOST of us dont want it. Neon Tokyo?? No thanks, Hong Kong?? No Thanks. London? Sure, thats fine but Why change your most famous places?? Every “Global” city has their Past incorparated in some form and Chicago should as well. We have some of the Greatest Past and Present anywhere.
Steve… Keep that Dream alive brother. People like Ol`e Jeannie does not get it but thankfully there are more people like you than her.
Ps -Jeannie, Your right, Macys sure puts us in Global City Light (NOT). Atleast Fields had character and knew what the people of Chicago Liked. Infact, people from all over the world visited Fields before it became a Big Chain store.
Sorry about the spelling like Incorporated. I was in a hurry and people like Jeannie rub me the wrong way.
When I was in high school (Glen Ellyn) my girl friends dad would take us ty the pump room when he closed a realy big estate deal. I think he only took us once., but it was a great experience.
Old Bob (relishing old Memories)
I live on Sheridan Rd. in Edgewater. The hotel was in fact torn down, but the Edgewater Beach apartments (which is Co-Op, not condo) still exists. The apartment building which still stands at the corner of Bryn Mawr and Sheridan and the demolished hotel which was 3 blocks south near Berwyn Ave. and Sheridan Rd. (around 5300 North) shared the same pink color and a similar shape. I’ve had countless conversations correcting people that think the apartment building that still stands was formerly the hotel. And yes, some “official” sources have it completely wrong as well. The Edgewater Beach hotel was more like a resort. It’s property streched for 3 city blocks, had multiple buildings which included the still standing apartment building, spacious gardens, a boardwalk along the lake and an outdoor marble dance floor. There was nothing else in Chicago that even came close to comparing to it.
Very cool. This is great news for Chicago to keep a landmark that’s still going, viable. Too bad Macy’s let go of the Marshall Field name – it meant a lot to Chicagoans.
Sadly, Schrager’s target audiences exists in very quantities in Chicago. I wish him the best of luck though.
I look forward to see the new Pump Room when I visit the city.
@chicago#1 – You sound drunk. Have another sixpack.
who wants to bet after he busts out the long time near retirement (like they already have done) union members.they will get a bunch of tax brakes and bla bla jobs bla bla and when its all done it will be $$$ condos. There is no way he can get the room rate he will need to make any money.
Sounds like the new owners “get” Chicago.
I’m reminded of what happened to Macy’s when they did away with Marshall Field’s. There, as everyone knows, Chicagoans and Chicago tourists alike -still- picket and protest outside the store and the store has never recovered it’s past rep and glory. While those supporters haven’t yet succeeded in bring back Marshall Field’s, it does look like they have made an indirect impact on saving the likes of The Pump Room and the Wrigley Field name. Good on them…good on Chicago!
The correct address for the Ambassador East, home of the Pump Room is 1301 N. State Pkwy.
We stayed there for several nights last July; had a huge room, and really loved the place.
I would guess that after the renovations, we shall be unable to afford to stay again.
I hope the new Ambassador East does well. It’s about time business owners are getting some sense and realize you don’t mess with Chicago. And I applaud Field’s Fans for speaking up–they are an inspiration.