Manufacturers: Scammell China, Shenango China, and Syracuse China
User: Forest Park Hotel – St. Louis, Missouri
Date of examples: circa 1940s-1950s

Syracuse China

Scammell China

Shenango plate backstamp from 1951

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Notes: The Forest Park Hotel, on the corner of West Pine Blvd. and Euclid Street in St. Louis, Missouri, opened in 1923.  It is a six-story brick and terra cotta-faced concrete building. In 1926, a seven-story addition was built that contained Spanish- and Italian-themed dining rooms.

In 1938, Sam Koplar, a local real estate developer and owner of other hotels, became the managing director of the Forest Park. He created the Circus Snack Bar lounge at the Forest Park. In the early 1940s, Koplar acquired a controlling interest with 75 percent of the Forest Park stock.

In 1983, Harold Butler, founder of the Denny's restaurant chain, bought the Forest Park. He then spent $7 million on renovations. Financial problems lead to the hotel's sudden closure in December 1990. In 2003, the former Forest Park Hotel was renovated and converted into a 115-unit apartment building.

Scammell, Shenango, and Syracuse produced a pattern crested with "FOREST PARK" in upper case, sans serf, red letters, and with "hotel" in script on the line below. A blue green rim line completes the pattern. On plates and platters, the crest is placed at the 2 o-clock position. This logo was used on matchbooks when it was a Koplar Hotel. Known Syracuse pieces contain 1948 and 1951 date codes. A surviving Shenango plate has a July-December 1951 (B9) date code. Scammell pieces were produced on a Trenton China base.

Sources:
Wikipedia – History of hotel
Meet Me in the Lobby – The story of Sam Koplar and the Chase and Park Plaza Hotels

Contributor:
Author and photos: Larry Paul