The Chase Club is best experienced in person. Reserve a table, catch a performance, or host your next event with us.
A Century of History
1922
Founded
Chase Park Plaza opens, instantly the social crown jewel of St Louis.
In-the know travelers and local merry-makers count on The Chase for high-quality alcoholic beverages during Prohibition, stored in secret tunnels that run under Lindell.
The 30’s
Tuned In
Some of the greatest of the big bands such as Hal Kemp, Ted Weems, Vincent Lopez and Ben Pollack played, and after 1927, were often heard over a nation-wide radio hookup on the Columbia Broadcasting System.
The 40’s
Showtime
Starting in the ‘40s, The Chase became the premier place in the area, and some say in the country, for top night club style entertainment with comedy and lounge acts such as Jerry Lester, Paul Gilbert, Billy de Wolfe and Al Tucker’s band.
The Chase Club, opened in a section of the hotel that is now home to the five-screen Chase Park Plaza Cinemas, hosts Frank Sinatra, Martin & Lewis, Bob Hope.
President Harry S. Truman notoriously turned away a freshly made pressed duck in favor of a simple ham sandwich
The 50’s
Golden Age
Harry Fender, one time Ziegfeld Broadway star, began hosting a late night radio interview and music show from the Steeplechase. People crowded in to see Harry interview stars such as Ethel Merman, Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Stan Kenton, Rogers & Hammerstein, Nat “King” Cole, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Tony Martin, Forrest Tucker and most all the stars who played the American, Kiel and Muny as well as others who either stayed or played at the Chase Park Plaza.
The lavish Mediterranean-style pool at The Chase is built, creating the perfect avenue for outdoor dining at the connecting Chase Club.
The 80’s
Last Call
1982- The Chase is sold
1989 – The Chase’s doors close.
The 90’s
Reopened
1991- 1997 – The Chase is revived and reopened.
1999 The Chase Park Plaza quickly resumed its previous mantle as one of the region’s most luxurious getaways.
2026
New Chapter
The Chase Club undergoes a refresh – new furniture, new branding – while still maintaining our heritage and warmth.
The Legends Who Walked These Halls
For over a century, The Chase Park Plaza has hosted the world’s most remarkable people. These are their stories, some confirmed history, some cherished legends. All of them true to the spirit of the place where extraordinary things have always happened.
Book a TableCoretta Scott King
Prominent civil rights activist and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who founded the King Center.
Dean Martin
Actor known for his roles in such films as Rio Bravo, The Wrecking Crew, and the original Ocean’s 11.
Elvis Presley - 1950's
He stayed at The Chase and requested that the freight elevator be available only for his use to maintain his privacy. He stayed sequestered at the hotel until stage time.
Jackie Robinson
Star second basemen for the Brooklyn Dodgers who became the first African American to play Major League Baseball.
Johnny Carson
Comedian best remembered for hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Liza Minnelli
Academy Award winning singer and actress known for her songs “New York, New York,” “Cabaret,” and “Maybe This Time.”
Lucille Ball
Actress best known for her roles as Lucie Ricardo in the hit television show, I Love Lucy.
Muhammad Ali
Professional boxer, and civil rights activist regarded as one of the best athletes of the 20th century.
The Rolling Stones - 1966
One of the most influential and enduring rock bands in history, is known for their pioneering gritty rock sound.
First Ladies
Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States (1933 – 1945)
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, First Lady of the United States (1961 – 1963)
Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the United States (1981 – 1989)
United States Presidents
Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (1923 – 1929)
Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States (1929 – 1933)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (1933 – 1945)
Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States (1945 – 1953)
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States (1953 – 1961), and Supreme Allied Commander Europe during World War II.
John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (1961 – 1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States (1963 – 1969)
Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States (1969 – 1974)
Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States (1974 – 1977)
Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States (1977 – 1981)
Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States (1981 – 1989)
George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States (1989 – 1993)
New Year's Eve Raid - 1922
On New Year’s Eve in 1922 during prohibition, The Chase Club (previously called The Palm Room) was raided by local officials who had gotten wind of alcohol consumption. The frenzy of the raid made front-page headlines in the New York Times.
Animal House
Talk about wild history! Elephants have ridden upstairs in the freight elevator, horses have pranced into The Khorassan Room, and Clydesdales have walked into the main lobby.
Saturday Night at The Chase
The weekly national radio broadcasts of “Saturday Night at The Chase” brought the music of the bands and entertainers performing at The Chase Club into living rooms all over America.
Wrestling at The Chase
Wrestling at The Chase, which featured live wrestling at The Chase every Saturday night, aired for 24 years and had more than 100,000 viewers per episode.
The Pool That Stopped Traffic
Built in 1954 to host the Miss America Pageant in 1956, the outdoor swimming pool’s barely clad bathers, as well as the nude and billowy “Great Bather” statue alongside the pool, caused quite a stir. The sight caused so many accidents on Lindell Street that the hotel had to construct a fence.
A City Within a Hotel
Business within The Chase throughout the decades:
– The hotel had its own gas pumps at one time
– A telegraph office
– A two-level chocolate shop
– A jewelry store, drugstore, paint shop, and laundry shop
– Poodle Palace for residents’ pups
– A chicken-pluckin’ room (on a good day, about 1,200 chickens landed)
– Sewing and drapery department, antique shop and art gallery, and upholstery and decorating shop that handled all the damasks and velvets for the interior designer in residence.
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis - 1950s · Comedy Duo
"The staff reportedly had to replicate a Las Vegas-style environment — for the dogs."
Among their first major nightclub appearance as a duo were staged right here at the Chase Club, before the world fully knew their names. Legen has it that Jerry Lewis arrived with his dogs in tow, and the Chase Club staff went to considerable lengths to keep the pups comfortable, reportedly replicating a backstage Las Vegas-style setup.
The Rat Pack - 1950–1960 · Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin
Nat King Cole - Golden Era
Musician known for his outstanding jazz recordings, as well as for being the first African American to host a television show
Gladys Knight
Seven-time Grammy Award-winner known as the “Empress of Soul.”
You've Heard the Story
Now Come Write Yours
