Harold Koplar was a Russian-American hotelier and businessman in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

.

Early life and education

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

Chase Park Plaza Hotel

The Chase Park Plaza, located at 212 N. Kingshighway in the Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri, is a combination of two buildings housing a condominium tower , hotel , cinema, and several restaurants and bars, all constructed between 1920 and 1930.The hotel replaced nearby Buckingham Hotel as...

 in 1929. Harold Koplar was raised in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, graduating from Soldan High School

Soldan International Studies High School

Soldan International Studies 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. From its opening in 1909, Soldan was known for its wealthy and predominantly Jewish student population...

 before going on to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

, where he studied architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 and engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 but left without graduating.

Career

Koplar linked together and managed the Chase Park Plaza Hotel

Chase Park Plaza Hotel

The Chase Park Plaza, located at 212 N. Kingshighway in the Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri, is a combination of two buildings housing a condominium tower , hotel , cinema, and several restaurants and bars, all constructed between 1920 and 1930.The hotel replaced nearby Buckingham Hotel as...

 in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

. In 1959, he launched the television station KPLR-TV

KPLR-TV

KPLR-TV, channel 11, is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KPLR is owned by the Tribune Company, and is an affiliate of The CW Television Network. The station's studios are located in Maryland Heights, Missouri, in Northwest St. Louis County KPLR-TV, channel 11, is a television station...

 in a converted apartment building near the hotel. He established a development at Lake of the Ozarks

Lake of the Ozarks

The Lake of the Ozarks is a large reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Extents of three smaller tributaries to the Osage, the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek, and Gravois Creek, are included in the impoundment...

 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

Alfonso J. Cervantes

Alfonso Juan Cervantes was the thirty-ninth Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1965 to 1973.- Personal life and early political career :...

 and nationally known defense attorney Morris Shenker

Morris Shenker

Morris A. Shenker was an American lawyer best known for his connections to labor leader Jimmy Hoffa and Teamster funding of Las Vegas in the 1960s....

, who was also Koplar's brother-in-law.

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, 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. Funeral services were held at Temple Emanuel

Temple Emanuel (St. Louis, Missouri)

Temple Emanuel is a Reform synagogue located at 12166 Conway Road, near the corner of New Ballas Road, in St. Louis, Missouri. Organized in 1956, it is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism . It has a membership of 300 families....

 in St. Louis and he was interred in the Koplar family mausoleum at New Mount Sinai Cemetery

New Mount Sinai Cemetery

The New Mount Sinai Cemetery is a cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri that was founded in 1850.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Its listing includes 39 contributing buildings, 2 contributing sites, and 2 other contributing structures.-External links:*...

, Affton, Missouri

Affton, Missouri

Affton is an unincorporated inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2010 census, the community had a total population of 20,307.-Geography:...

.