Chicagoans Vote To Keep Pump Room Name
CHICAGO (CBS) -- By an overwhelming margin, Chicagoans told influential hotel developer Ian Schrager to keep the Pump Room name, as he renovates the legendary restaurant and watering hole.
Schrager put the name up to vote, and the vast majority picked keeping the Pump Room over renaming the establishment the Gold Coast Kitchen.
The Pump Room operated for more than 70 years in the Ambassador East Hotel, 1301 N. State Pkwy., and was long the place to see and be seen.
But the Pump Room closed on Jan. 30, 2010, after a final performance by cabaret singer Nan Mason. But Schrager is now redesigning the venue in preparation for a grand reopening this fall.
In its time, the Pump Room hosted everyone from President Ronald Reagan – in his acting days – to David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Irv Kupcinet also met the sources for his legendary column at Booth One at the Pump Room.
