The Cavalier Hotel has a rich history, sits on the high ground of Virginia Beach where it has survived many hurricanes, northeasters and tidal water since it's construction began in the 1920's.
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| The steel structure nearly complete in 1927 |
The hotel was designed and built to be one of Virginia's most luxurious hotels, and as such has an illustrious history. The original hotel has even been rumored to be haunted, although no proven evidence of that has been presented. Guests have called the front desk to complain that a cat was wondering the halls, although no cat was ever found. The owner of the Coors brewery plunged to his death from the sixth floor. Guests have said they've seen his apparition, fueling speculation of the haunted nature of the hotel. Haunted or not, for many reasons the Cavalier has attracted the rich and famous to Virginia Beach for nine decades. Hotel records show that seven U.S. Presidents have been guests, from Coolidge to Nixon. The exclusive location overlooking the oceanfront has brought thousand of tourists to the resort city.
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| 1931 Cavalier Hotel Courtesy NPL-SMC |
This early 1930's photo shows the hotel shortly after completion. In the foreground which faces the oceanfront were placed archery targets, a popular pastime for the day. The front lawn has hosted many events over the years and remains largely unchanged to this date. Currently there is a large banner, the width of the hotel, trumpeting the coming renovations and re-opening. A new era begins! Many Virginia Beach locals remember the hotel in it's glory days and are saddened by the changes that are coming. Development of the site funded partly by revenue of the citizens of Virginia Beach has been met with a great deal of discontent. Although the developer plans to restore the hotel, opinions vary on City Councils decision to use taxpayer dollars for the project.
There seems little doubt that the need for a private developer was required to restore the hotel to it's original glory. Questions will remain about the feasibility of the plan for the near future, as residents are taking a wait and see attitude, hoping for the best.
Perhaps the hotel will serve public functions and remain a popular destination as it was originally intended. One of the memorable events was a 1934 horse show on the front lawn. This photo and several others in this blog post are part of the Sargeant Memorial room collection at the Norfolk Public Library and are featured on the VirginiaPhotoArt.com website.
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| Horse Show at the Cavalier Hotel 1934 |
Virginiaphotoart.com is my newest website and contains many photographs of the historic Cavalier hotel, from it's ground breaking to modern day color photographs.
This 1972 aerial photograph is owned by Virginia Photo Art. It is one of several thousand photographs to which I purchased the copyright in 2005. You can read about the acquisition here.
More importantly, this aerial photo shows the location of the Cavalier Beach Club on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The Beach Club was very popular from the start, and remains a vital part of the history of Virginia Beach and the memories so many residents value. The aerial photo was captured prior to construction of the New Cavalier Hotel.
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| 1972 Aerial Photo Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club |
The Cavalier Beach Club was immensely popular with tourists and local residents. These photographs are displayed on my websites, and are also offered for sale at various art shows and other events. Residents are thrilled to see these photos and purchase them as keepsakes, for wall decor and gifts for friends and family members. The photograph of the afternoon tea dance is certainly among my most popular.
When studying the enlarged high resolution photo, some viewers have been able to identify their mother, father, aunt or uncle. This is also true of the photos of the models, seen poolside and at the swing. All of these photos can be purchased on my website. You will also find them in many local gift shops. Larger sizes, 16" x 20" and up can be ordered on the website. The details in the large prints are amazing!
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| Afternoon Tea Dance at the Cavalier Beach Club |
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| Models Posing Near the Swimming Pool To purchase or view these photos, visit the largest source for old photos of Virginia Beach and Norfolk View or purchase hundreds of our photos on our new website: www.VirginiaPhotoArt.com
Virginia Photo Art Phone (757) 425-3110
Mailing Address: 1340 N Great Neck Road #1272-358
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
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