Park Plaza Hotel Grill Ala Carte Menu 1940's St. Louis, Missouri (RARE)

Description: PARK PLAZA HOTEL GRILL ALA CARTE MENU 1940'S ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (RARE); This item is an ala carte menu from the historic (defunct) Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. This menu is from the Park Plaza Hotel Grill and dates the 1940's. (Used) PARK PLAZA HISTORY;Sam Koplar was born in St. Louis on July 4, 1888 in a small house at the corner of Broadway and Tyler. He was forced to drop out of college after one year as his family could not afford the tuition. After unsuccessfully trying to find work washing cars for auto dealerships, he stumbled into the construction business where he made his fortune.In 1929, Koplar acquired a lot near the corner of Lindell and Kingshighway, adjacent to the Hotel Chase, where he built a hotel modeled after the Savoy Plaza in New York City, with oversized windows, velvet draperies and divans in the lobby, uniformed bellhops and fine dining. He named his hotel the Park Plaza.Koplar lost the 28-story Park Plaza Hotel to foreclosure during the depression, but he reacquired it in 1944. By 1946, he had acquired majority control of the Chase Hotel.The Park Plaza offered fine dining as well as more casual venues. The Park Plaza drug store, with a full soda fountain, made incomparable malts and milkshakes, as well as tasty tuna salad sandwiches. The Park Plaza Grill served breakfast, lunch and dinner, specializing in oversized ice cream sodas and luscious sundaes. On December 5, 1940, the Chase Hotel opened its new Starlight Roof and Zodiac Cocktail Lounge, a glass-enclosed supper room and bar, which replaced the open-air Roof Garden. A blue neon "CHASE" sign was installed atop the Zodiac Lounge's circular orchestra bay.The Starlight Roof, with a capacity for 1100 people, became the hotel's main dining room, with dancing and entertainment. Decorated in rose and gray, it afforded a panoramic view of Forest Park and the west end of the city. The Zodiac Lounge had its own dance floor, with a circular orchestra bay. It terminated in a circular glass bar at the south end with the 12 signs of the Zodiac sandblasted into its surface. In the center, a silver statue of a girl pointed to the sky. At the flick of a switch, a dome above the silver figure slid back, revealing the star-studded sky.There were other dining venues at the Chase, including the Fiesta Grille and the Steeplechase Room, where Harry Fender broadcast live on KMOX radio from 1954 until the mid 1970s.For 20 years, Fender entertained late-night radio listeners with a veritable who's who of show business – Frank Sinatra, Sophie Tucker, Jimmy Durante, Nat King Cole, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Mary Martin, Pearl Bailey, Ethel Merman, Rodgers and Hammerstein and so on.The premier venue was the first floor Chase Club, which had moved from the Palm Room to a windowless interior space on the north side of the lobby in November 1935. This space would provide dining and entertainment for the next four decades.When the Chase Club opened for the fall season in September 1939 it had been completely redecorated. It boasted a blue plush ceiling, modernistic decorations, larger dance floor, and was surrounded by tables where fine food was served.The real attraction at the Chase Club was the entertainment. Hack Ulrich, who joined the Chase Hotel staff in 1936 as a bus boy, was the Chase Club's maitre d' for many years until he took the same position at the hotel's Tenderloin Room when it opened in 1962.By the 1950s, the Chase Club had a national reputation as one of the leading nightclubs in America. The greatest stars in the country came to St. Louis to appear at the club.The Chase Club continued to book events throughout the 1960's and into the early 1970's. The list of entertainers appearing at the club in 1964 included Eddie Albert, Sophie Tucker, Robert Goulet, Milton Berle, Vikki Carr, Kay Stevens and Frank Sinatra Jr. After that, bookings became more infrequent, with performers replaced by fashion shows, special banquets, and Persian rug sales. In February 1972, Harold Koplar announced he was closing the Chase Club, explaining the hotel would emphasize food rather than entertainment. The space was converted into two restaurants – the Sea Chase and the Hostaria dell 'Orso.SPECIFICATIONS; Venue; Park Plaza Hotel Division; Hospitality Restaurant; Park Plaza Grill Location; St. Louis, Missouri Product; Ala Carte Menu Type; Standard Material; Paper (Heavy) Color; Multi Image; Park Plaza Hotel (Artist Rendition) Style; Tri-Fold Design; Vintage History; Historical Landmark Year Constructed;1922 Built In Style; Italian Renaissance Release Date; 1940's Dimensions; 7” x 15.75” Condition; (Used) This is a tri-fold style menu that does have some separation at the folds. The bottom folds of the menu each have a (2"-3") separation and the top a (1") on the left side only. PAYMENT; Ebay SHIPPING; USPS Ground Advantage Mail (2-5 Business Days) RETURNS; Accepted (30-Days)

Price: 20 USD

Location: Arnold, Missouri

End Time: 2025-01-15T04:41:18.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD