Harold Koplar (February 27, 1915 – May 3, 1985) was a

Russian-American Russian Americans ( rus, русские американцы, r=russkiye amerikantsy, p= ˈruskʲɪje ɐmʲɪrʲɪˈkant͡sɨ) are Americans of full or partial Russian ancestry. The term can apply to recent Russian immigrants to the United State ...

hotelier and businessman in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

Biography

Early life and education

Harold Koplar was born February 27, 1915. His father, Sam Koplar, built the Park Plaza Hotel in 1929. Harold Koplar was raised in

, graduating from

Soldan High School Soldan International Studies High School (also known as Soldan High School) is a public magnet high school in the Academy neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri that is part of the St. Louis Public Schools. Soldan was known for its wealthy and pr ...

before going on to the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...

, where he studied

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

and

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

but left without graduating.

Career

Koplar linked together and managed the

Chase Park Plaza Hotel The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis is a historic hotel and apartment complex located at 212 N. Kingshighway Boulevard in the Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri. It consists of two buildings - the Chase Hotel, built in 1922 by develope ...

. In 1959, he launched the television station

KPLR-TV KPLR-TV (channel 11) is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, airing programming from The CW. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Fox affiliate KTVI (channel 2). Both stations s ...

(the call letters came from his last name) in a converted apartment building near the hotel. He established a development at

Lake of the Ozarks Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Parts of three smaller tributaries to the Osage are included in the impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Cr ...

in 1964 that includes the Lodge of Four Seasons hotel, two golf courses, a marina, and Spa Shiki. In 1966 he was listed as part-owner of the troubled midtown landmark Continental Life Building, along with St. Louis mayor Alfonso J. Cervantes and nationally known defense attorney

Morris Shenker Morris A. Shenker (January 10, 1907 – August 9, 1989) was an American lawyer best known for his connections to labor leader Jimmy Hoffa and Teamster funding of Las Vegas in the 1960s. Shenker was a Russian Jewish immigrant who arrived in St. Lo ...

, who was also Koplar's brother-in-law.''Life Magazine'', May 29, 1970, pages 24–31.

Marriage and children

Harold and Marie Lauer Koplar married on March 30, 1931. The couple had three children: Robert "Bob" Koplar (d. 1977), Edward J. "Ted" Koplar (d. 2021), and Susan Koplar Brown.

Death and afterward

On May 3, 1985, Harold Koplar was found unconscious in an indoor lap pool in his home. He was rushed to the hospital and declared dead of a massive

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

. Funeral services were held at Temple Emanuel in St. Louis and he was interred in the Koplar family mausoleum at New Mount Sinai Cemetery,

Affton, Missouri Affton is a census-designated place (CDP) in south St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, near St. Louis. The population was 20,417 at the 2020 United States Census. Geography Affton is located at 38°33'4" North, 90°19'25" West (38.5510 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koplar, Harold 1915 births 1985 deaths American hoteliers American people of Russian descent Businesspeople from St. Louis 20th-century American businesspeople