Embedded Files
By Kevin Geisert, SMC Research Librarian, February 2025
The historic Cavalier is a luxury resort hotel located in Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront (originally in Princess Anne County) at 4200 Atlantic Avenue on a plot of land previously occupied by a sand dune. Situated right across from the beach, the Cavalier Hotel has stood for nearly a century. Norfolk architectural firm, Neff & Thompson, designed it with construction taking place from March 1926-April 1927. Built by Johnson Construction Company in a Renaissance Revival style, this iconic landmark cost an enormous sum of two million dollars.[1]
Local residents submitted several different possible names for the newest Oceanfront hotel. “Cavalier” beat out all other options, including “Algonquin” and “Sea Pine.” Today the name remains an indelible part of Virginia Beach history.[2] Grand Opening ceremonies took place during the week of April 4-April 8 in 1927, as hotel guests checked out their accommodations for the first time. Notable Virginians participated in the festivities, including Governor Harry Byrd and newspaper magnate Samuel Slover (see local wiki: Samuel L. Slover), who also served as Cavalier Hotel Corporation President. In his remarks, Governor Byrd boasted that Virginia now had “the best resort hotel in America” for all to enjoy.[3]
Throughout its history, the Cavalier has hosted celebrities who travel to the Virginia Beach area. Muhammad Ali, Bob Hope, and Sam Snead are just a few prominent individuals who visited during their years of stardom. Even U.S. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and John F. Kennedy explored this elegant building. The Cavalier also attracted legendary performers, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Cab Calloway, who entertained hotel guests.[4] When World War II hostilities commenced after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy commandeered the resort and operated a radar training school. It returned to civilian use in July 1945 just a few months after Germany’s surrender. The first post-war guests arrived that September.[5]
Today, Oceanfront visitors cannot miss the magnificently manicured front lawn with capital letters that spell out the word “Cavalier.” The hotel’s plush layout originally included a couple hundred rooms, but that number has now been reduced to 85 along with 23 suites after the recent completion of a four-year renovation spearheaded by developer Bruce Thompson. In an effort to save it from possible demolition, Virginia Beach completed this $81 million project to revamp the Cavalier in 2018. Maintaining a ritzy atmosphere, guests who stay there will now notice shiny new floors and chandeliers. A mix of pleasant fragrances provide an even more upscale environment. Several engineering and consulting firms, including Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas & Company, collaborated to make this new iteration of Cavalier Hotel a smashing success. Since 2014, the landmark has been listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places.[6]
Sources:
1. “Cavalier Hotel at Virginia Beach Now Taking Form,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), March 29, 1926, p. 6;
“South’s Traditions Revived in the Cavalier,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), March 31, 1926, Virginia Beach Edition
p. 1-2; Melinda Forbes, “Old Cavalier to be Elegant Once More," The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), August 20, 1975,
Beacon p. 1; Jakon Hays and Maureen Watts, “The Grand Opening of the Cavalier Hotel,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 4, 2017, p. 1; Wikipedia, “Cavalier Hotel,” accessed January 9, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_Hotel.
2. Hays and Watts, p. 1.
3. “Cavalier Makes Its Formal Bow as Dispenser of Hospitality,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 8, 1927, p. 1;
“Handsome New Cavalier Hotel Makes Formal Bow to Public,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 5, 1927, p. 1.
4. Hays and Watts, p. 1;Virginia Beach: Live the Life, “The Cavalier Hotel Returns to the Virginian Beach Oceanfront,”
accessed January 17, 2025, The Newly Restored Cavalier Hotel Offers a Luxurious Experience for Your Next Event.
5. “Navy Releases Cavalier,” Know Norfolk, July 1945, p. 146; Virginia Beach: Live the Life; “Through the Years,”
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 28, 2013, p. Virginia Beach Beacon BX1.
6. Stacy Parker, “Five Things to Know about the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach," The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia),
March 9, 2018, p. A4; Brett Hall, WAVY News, “With $458M Cavalier Resort Nearly Complete with Opening of 3rd Hotel,
Bruce Thompson Says Project ‘Far Exceeded’ Expectations,” accessed January 24, 2025,
https://www.wavy.com/news/with-458m-cavalier-resort-nearly-complete-with-opening-of-3rd-hotel-bruce-thompson- says-project-far-exceeded-expectations/; Gabriella Souza, “Sold,” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), June 11, 2013, p. B1;
Hotel Business, “The Cavalier Hotel Added to National Register of Historic Places,” accessed February 7, 2025,
The Cavalier Hotel Added to National Register of Historic Places - Hotel Business Archive;
Virginia Department of Historic Resources, “The Cavalier,” accessed February 7, 2025 134-0503.
Street Address: 4200 Atlantic Avenue
Name (Original): The Cavalier
Name (Also Known As): The Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club, The Cavalier
Architect: Neff & Thompson
Contractor: Johnson Construction Company
Architectural Style: Renaissance Revival
Cost (Original): $2 Million
Construction Date: March 1926-April 1927
Opening Date: April 4, 1927
Demolition Date: Still Standing
GPS: 36.86961, -75.98349
Major Keywords/Search Terms:
Atlantic Avenue| The Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club|
The Cavalier Hotel| The Cavalier| Johnson Construction Company| Neff & Thompson|
Renaissance Revival| Governor Harry Byrd| Princess Anne County, Virginia| Algonquin|
Sea Pine| Virginia Beach, Virginia| Oceanfront| Samuel L. Slover| Muhammad Ali|
Cab Calloway| Frank Sinatra| Ella Fitzgerald| Bob Hope| Sam Snead|
Franklin D. Roosevelt| Harry S. Truman| John F. Kennedy| Radar Training School|
U.S. Navy| World War II| Bruce Thompson| Tidewater| Renovation| Norfolk, Virginia|
Virginia Department of Historic Resources| Virginia Landmarks Register|
National Register of Historic Places| Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas & Company|
Sources:
1) Primary Sources:
1. Documents/Collections:
▪ Assembly of Tidewater Minutes, 1929-1937, MSS 0000-290.
▪ Neff and Thompson, Reports, 1908-1938. Thomas P. Thompson Papers, 1896-1957, MSS 0000-234.
2. Maps/Plats/Surveys:
▪ Map of Thomas Thompson, City Manager of Norfolk, Virginia. Cavalier Hotel Property, Virginia Beach, Virginia, circa 1928, MSS 0000-NMP.
3. Newspaper/Magazines/Journals:
1926
▪ “Cavalier Hotel at Virginia Beach Now Taking Form.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), March 29, 1926, p. 6.
▪ “South’s Traditions Revived in the Cavalier.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), March 31, 1926, Virginia Beach Edition
p. 1-2.
1927
▪ “Handsome New Cavalier Hotel Makes Formal Bow to Public.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 5, 1927, p. 1-2.
▪ “Cavalier Makes Its Formal Bow as Dispenser of Hospitality.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 8, 1927, p. 1 and 5.
▪ “Panorama of Primeval Nature Greets Eye from Cupola of the New Cavalier.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia),
April 9, 1927, p. 12.
1945
▪ “Navy Releases Cavalier.” Know Norfolk, July 1945, p. 146.
1950
▪ “Cavalier Hotel, Majestic Atop Its Terraced Hill, Has More Employees Than Guests in Summer Season.” Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch (Norfolk, Virginia), June 26, 1950, p. 40.
1961
▪ “Cavalier Lists 66 Conventions.” Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch (Norfolk, Virginia), March 24, 1961, p. 13.
1974
▪ Forbes, Melinda. “‘Save the Old Cavalier.’” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), October 9, 1974, Beacon p. 1-2.
1975
▪ Forbes, Melinda. “Old Cavalier to be Elegant Once More.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), August 20, 1975, Beacon p. 1-2.
1977
▪ Holden, Suzanne. “36 Years of Class.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), March 18, 1977, Beacon p. 8-9.
1980
▪ “The New Hotels.” Metro Hampton Roads, August 1980, p. 50-51.
▪ “Old Cavalier Rejects Studies; Will Stay Open.” Norfolk Ledger-Star (Norfolk, Virginia), October 2, 1980, p. C8.
2013
▪ Reed, Bill. “Oh, So Cavalier.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 28, 2013, p. Virginia Beach Beacon BX1.
▪ Souza, Gabriella. “Sold.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), June 11, 2013, p. B1.
2017
▪ Parker, Stacy. “Cavalier Developer in Virginia Beach Wants More Public Financing, This Time for Another Hotel.”
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), January 21, 2017, p. Hampton Roads 3.
4. Photographs/Images:
▪ Contractors and Hotel Men’s Banquet Celebrating Opening of Cavalier Hotel, 1927 April 5. Box 20, Folder 11.
Ferebee Genealogy Collection, 1860-1990s, MSS 0000-290.
▪ Folders: “Virginia Beach, VA I” and “Virginia Beach, VA VI.” Cavalier Hotel. Sargeant Memorial Collection Main Photograph Collection, MSS 0000-MPC, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.
▪ Pennsylvania Railroad Dinner the Official Opening of the New Pennsylvania Terminals at Norfolk, Virginia, Cavalier Hotel,
Virginia Beach, Virginia, 1929 January 10. Ferebee Genealogy Collection, 1860s-1990s, MSS 0000-290.
▪ The Virginian-Pilot Photograph Collection, MSS 0000-187, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library,
Norfolk, Virginia. https://cdm15987.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/search/searchterm/%22cavalier%20hotel%22.
5. Websites
▪ Cavalier Resort. “The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club.” Accessed January 9, 2025.
https://www.cavalierresortvb.com/the-historic-cavalier-hotel.
▪ Miller, Madeline. WTKR Channel 3, February 20, 2023. “Restoration of Historic Cavalier & Sister Hotels Pays off for Virginia Beach Economy.” Accessed January 9, 2025.
▪ Squires, Paula C. Architectural Digest, March 29, 2018. “Cavalier Hotel Reopens After $81 Million Renovation.”
Accessed January 9, 2025. https://www.cavalierresortvb.com/press-media/cavalier-hotel-reopens-after-81-million-renovation.
▪ Virginia Beach: Live the Life. “The Cavalier Hotel Returns to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.” Accessed January 9, 2025.
1) Secondary Sources:
1. Documents/Collections:
▪ Folder: Virginia-Cities-Hotels-The Cavalier.” Sargeant Memorial Collection Virginia Clippings Files, MSS 0000-VCF, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.
▪ Sargeant Memorial Collection Card Catalog. Legacy Subjects: “Hotel. Cavalier.”
▪ The Virginian-Pilot Index Cards, MSS 2020-005. Subjects: 1947-1980. “Cavalier Hotel.”
2. Newspaper/Magazines/Journals:
2013
▪ “Through the Years.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), April 28, 2013, p. Virginia Beach Beacon BX1.
2017
▪ Hays, Jakon and Maureen Watts. “The Grand Opening of the Cavalier Hotel.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia),
April 4, 2017, p. 1.
2018
▪ Parker, Stacy. “Five Things to Know about the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach.” The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), March 9, 2018, p. A4.
3. Websites
▪ Hall, Brett. WAVY News. “With $458M Cavalier Resort Nearly Complete with Opening of 3rd Hotel, Bruce Thompson Says Project ‘Far Exceeded’ Expectations.” Accessed January 24, 2025.
▪ Hotel Business. “The Cavalier Hotel Added to National Register of Historic Places.” Accessed February 7, 2025.
The Cavalier Hotel Added to National Register of Historic Places - Hotel Business Archive.
▪ Virginia Beach: Live the Life. “The Cavalier Hotel Returns to the Virginian Beach Oceanfront.” Accessed January 17, 2025.
The Newly Restored Cavalier Hotel Offers a Luxurious Experience for Your Next Event.
▪ Virginia Department of Historic Resources. “Cavalier Hotel.”
Accessed January 9, 2025.
https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/134-0503/.
▪ W.M. Jordan Company. “Restoration of the Historic Cavalier Hotel.” Accessed January 9, 2025.
https://wmjordan.com/projects/restoration-of-the-historic-cavalier-hotel/.
▪ Wikipedia. “Cavalier Hotel.” Accessed January 9, 2025.
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