The Chase Park Plaza Hotel

The Chase Park Plaza Hotel

View of the Park Plaza tower from north on Kingshighway Boulevard
Location in St. Louis
General information
Location St. Louis, Missouri
Address 212 North Kingshighway Boulevard
Coordinates 38°38′39″N 90°15′50″W / 38.64417°N 90.26389°W / 38.64417; -90.26389Coordinates: 38°38′39″N 90°15′50″W / 38.64417°N 90.26389°W / 38.64417; -90.26389
Opening September 29, 1922 (1922-09-29)
Technical details
Floor count 28
Design and construction
Architect Preston J. Bradshaw

The Chase Park Plaza is a historic hotel complex located at 212 N. Kingshighway Boulevard in the Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. It consists of two buildings - the Chase Hotel, built in 1922 by developer Chase Ullman,[1] and the Art Deco-style Park Plaza tower, built in 1929 and today housing condominiums. The complex also features a cinema and several restaurants and bars.[2] The hotel replaced nearby the Buckingham Hotel as the most luxurious hotel in the city. From 1990 through 2001, The Chase was closed for remodeling. The Park Plaza stayed open.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has accepted Chase Park Plaza Hotel to be part of the Historic Hotels of America.

History

Jackie Robison and desegregation

Jackie Robinson, was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman who became the first African American to play in the major leagues in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947.[3]

In 1953, Robinson openly criticized segregated hotels and restaurants that served the Dodger organization. A number of these establishments integrated as a result, including the five-star Chase Park Hotel in St. Louis.[4][5]

Wrestling at the Chase

The Chase was also famous for hosting a wrestling program called Wrestling at the Chase (1959–1983),[6][7] produced and televised by KPLR-TV channel 11, whose operations were in the hotel and the adjoining Chase Apartments, all owned by Harold Koplar. Many famous wrestlers, including St. Louis native, Lou Thesz, and Buddy Rogers wrestled on the program.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/chase-park-plaza/
  2. ↑ O'Connor, Candace (2005). Meet Me in the Lobby: the Story of Harold Koplar and the Chase Park Plaza. St. Louis: Virginia Publishing Co. ISBN 1-891442-32-5.
  3. ↑ Scott Simon, Jackie Robinson and the integration of baseball (2002).
  4. ↑ Wormser, Richard (2002). "Jackie Robinson integrates Baseball". Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  5. ↑ Erskine, Carl with Burton Rocks (2005). "Wait Till Next Year". What I Learned from Jackie Robinson: A Teammate's Reflections On and Off the Field. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 61–74. ISBN 0-07-145085-8.
  6. ↑ Hornbaker, Tim (2006). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling. ECW Press. p. 55. ISBN 1-55022-741-6.
  7. ↑ Matysik, Larry (2005). Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. p. 152. ISBN 1-55022-684-3.


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