The celebrity real estate shopper who we mentioned yesterday is none other than legendary Chicago Bears defensive end Richard Dent. The 1985 Super Bowl MVP has been seen checking out condos at The Ambassador, the Fordham Company’s redevelopment of the storied and very classy Ambassador West Hotel in the Gold Coast (see photo). It would be fitting if the football great made himself at home at The Ambassador, which was a favorite haunt of celebrities – mostly Hollywood stars – in its heyday.
One real estate insider tells us that for a time, Dent was seriously considering buying a ground-floor maisonette at The Ambassador. Perhaps the 16-foot ceilings felt like a comfortable fit for the strapping 6-foot-5-inch athlete.
But apparently Dent is keeping his options open. He also has checked out some models for the upcoming Ritz-Carlton Residences development, a Lucien Lagrange-designed 40-story condo tower at Michigan Avenue and Erie Street.
“You can’t really miss him when he’s [at an open house],” says our insider. “He’s been shopping around for about three years – he must be the most knowledgeable shopper in the Chicago real estate market.”
So why the hesitation? Our insider wonders whether the successful businessman and founder of the charity Make a Dent Foundation, is waiting to see whether 2007 will be the year that he is finally admitted to the NFL Hall of Fame after coming so close in 2005. Hall of Famers, after all, tend to accumulate some nice cash on the professional speakers’ circuit.
But if Dent is still browsing, maybe he should check out somewhere like One Museum Park, which offers some nice views of Soldier Field.