Chase Park Plaza Hotel

• 1. Architectural Origins And Construction

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  The Chase Hotel opened on the 29th of September 1922. Developer Chase Ullman built this structure to replace the nearby Buckingham Hotel as the city's most luxurious hotel. A second building followed seven years later when Sam Koplar constructed the Art Deco-style Park Plaza tower in 1929. These two structures stood next door to each other at 212 N. Kingshighway Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. The ground-floor Chase Club became a popular venue for nationally known entertainers starting in 1933. This entertainment space remained active until it closed its doors in 1972.

• 2. The Koplar Family Ownership Era

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  Sam Koplar lost his original Park Plaza hotel to foreclosure during the Great Depression. He took a job managing the Chase Hotel next door after losing his own property. A rabbi friend helped him raise funds to rebuy the Park Plaza from an insurance company in 1944. Koplar eventually became the majority owner of the Chase by 1946. In 1961, the Koplars merged the two hotels into The Chase-Park Plaza. The family sold the combined property to investors called Chase Hotel Redevelopment Corporation in 1981. They defaulted on their loan and GE Capital seized the 1700-room hotel in 1983.

• 3. Financial Decline And Conversion

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  GE Capital closed the hotel rooms in the Park Plaza tower in 1985. The lender converted that section into an apartment building at a cost of $12 million. This new residential complex opened in 1988. Business continued declining through the late 1980s. GE closed the remaining hotel wing in 1989. The organization auctioned off the building's contents in 1991. The Chase wing sat vacant for nearly a decade until developer Jim Smith purchased it in 1997. Smith renovated the hotel at a cost of $125 million before reopening it in 1999 as The Chase Park Plaza.

• 4. Renovation And Modern Management

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  Jim Smith reopened the renovated hotel in 1999 after spending $125 million on improvements. He dropped the hyphen from the name during this process. The property changed hands again in 2006 when Behringer Harvard bought it for $180 million. Boston-based Hospitality Properties Trust acquired the site in June 2017 for $94 million. Sixty million dollars of that sale price went toward paying off existing debts. New owners contracted with Sonesta Hotels to manage the property immediately. The facility was renamed The Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza St. Louis on the 18th of May 2017. It now participates in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Hotels of America program.

• 5. Jackie Robinson And Desegregation

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  Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on the 15th of April 1947. In 1953, Robinson openly criticized segregated hotels and restaurants serving the Dodger organization. His campaign targeted establishments that refused service to African American players and staff. A number of these venues integrated as a direct result of his pressure. The Chase Hotel became one of the few properties to integrate following Robinson's public criticism. This integration occurred while he played as a Major League Baseball second baseman for the team.

• 6. Wrestling At The Chase Television Program

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  KPLR-TV channel 11 produced and televised Wrestling at the Chase between 1959 and 1983. Operations took place inside the hotel and adjoining Park Plaza apartments owned by Harold Koplar. Harold Koplar was the son of Sam Koplar who had previously managed both properties. Many famous wrestlers appeared on the program during its twenty-four year run. St. Louis native Lou Thesz wrestled on the show alongside Buddy Rogers. The television production utilized the existing infrastructure of the Chase-Park Plaza complex throughout its broadcast history.