The Cavalier Hotel History | The Cavalier Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia

The Hotel That Made Virginia Beach Famous

For over 80 years, The Cavalier has been the hotel that made Virginia Beach famous. Founded in 1927, the hotel has attracted a wide range of guests and celebrities, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and five other US Presidents. The Cavalier was also used as a naval training center during World War II.

Construction Begins
It was 1926. The days of the Charleston, Calvin Coolidge, and The Cavalier. The roaring 20s were well underway when the idea came about for an unsurpassable resort to be built in beautiful Virginia Beach. As strong financial backing helped the idea become reality, the local newspaper ran a contest to name the new hotel. The names were narrowed down to the Algonquin, the Linkhorn, the Crystal, the Sea Pine, and The Cavalier.

On March 5, 1926, The Cavalier prevailed as the official name, and the clearing of the land for the hotel and adjoining 18-hole golf course continued. Months later, on May 9, Mayor Tyler of Norfolk spoke at the ground breaking, setting in place the corner stone of The Cavalier.

It took 13 months of steady labor to build the hotel. At times, there were as many as 225 men on the job. But in all that construction, there was not a single casualty. The building was constructed of cement-covered steel, making it fireproof before the term "fireproof" was even invented.

The men then laid in place more than half a million bricks. At the time, it was the most bricks ever used in a single building in the state of Virginia. When the Cavalier Golf Course was completed, it was 6060 yards in all, with some holes modeled after the famous North Berwick and St. Andrews in Scotland, and Chicago's golf club at Fox Chapel. A beautiful sunken garden was planted on the South Side of The Cavalier.

Its flowers were used to decorate each guest's room, as well as the dining room and lobby. In all, The Cavalier originally consisted of 195 guest rooms and 350 acres (290 acres of golf course and 60 acres of hotel property) Even from the start, The Cavalier set the very highest standards of quality.

The Hotel Opens
On April 4-9, 1927, a grand ceremonious opening for The Cavalier was held. The grand style of hostelry had returned to Virginia Beach. Ben Bernie Band played for the festivities, and received congratulation telegrams from Sophie Tucker and Al Jolson. Around the same time, the Norfolk & Western Railroad new gasoline powered train named "The Cavalier" took its maiden voyage down its run from Cleveland to Norfolk.

Its motto was, "The Cavalier to The Cavalier". More mid-Westerners flocked to Virginia Beach in June when a Norfolk & Western Pullman coach began nonstop travel from Chicago to The Cavalier's private depot.

The Cavalier's armada of limousines would also pick up guests from the steamship lines and railroad stations and bring them to the hotel. During the Prohibition, these same limos were used in the evening to take guests for a little discreet gambling and drinking at the sedate clubs nearby, The Links, the Dunes, and the Gables. On ground, The Cavalier's Hunt Room served as a private men's club for hunters. Guests' hunting dogs could be kept on the hotel grounds, and fish and game caught by guests would be taken to the kitchen to be prepared for dinner. After dinner, the men could join the ladies for a dance in the ballroom.

The rooms had every amenity available at the time. Each bathtub at The Cavalier had a fourth handle for salt water. In 1927, many people believed that sea water was medically beneficial. Most women loved how their complexion looked and felt after a sea water bath. As for the sinks, each had an ice water spigot on it. Refrigeration as we know it today did not exist. The only way known to refrigerate then was with blocks of ice.

On the roof of the hotel, a large wooden tub contained ice blocks and water. Gravity would cause the water to flow to the rooms, and cold water was achieved. The hotel's swimming pool was filled with filtered ocean water until the mid-70s.

The lower lobby of the new hotel was filled with an amazing array of shops. Guests could get their hair cut, shop for dresses, purchase medicine and gifts, and get a scoop of ice cream. A doctor also kept office in the lobby, as well as a commercial photographer. However, the most unique shop in The Cavalier was a stock brokerage office, which had a ticker tape directly from the New York Stock Exchange. For the guests who arrived in their Rolls Royces and Essexes, the hotel set aside a dining room off the lobby solely for their chauffeurs.

The radio station WSEA was also located in the hotel. WSEA was the third station in America to broadcast coast to coast. And that broadcast came live from The Cavalier. On June 10, 1927, Mayor Tyler of Norfolk, radioing from WSEA, became the first American to extend radio congratulations home to Charles Lindberg. Charles heard the message as he was passing the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse on his way to Washington, D.C. after his successful solo airplane flight from New York to Paris.

The Beach Club Opens
On Memorial Day in 1929, the Cavalier Beach Club opened for the first time, to the music of the McFarland Twins, the former saxophonists of the Fred Waring Orchestra. The club was the forerunner of all beach clubs, and none of those that followed ever overtook it or even kept pace with it. For the next three decades, The Cavalier was the largest hirer of big bands in the world.

Every major big band of the time played here, including Sammy Kaye, Les Brown, Benny Goodman, Vaughn Monroe, Cab Calloway, Harry James, Jimmy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw, Lawrence Welk, and Glen Miller. Buddy Rodgers would play, while his wife Ginger Rogers watched from the audience. Bing Crosby also performed at the Cavalier when he was one of the Rhythm Boys. One of the worst hurricanes in Virginia Beach history tore through the Cavalier Beach Club in 1933. It was rebuilt quickly, and the dancing continued.

Also opening in 1929 was the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club. In May, the Cavalier hosted its first annual horse show. In June of that year, Adolph Coors, the founder of Coors Brewery, having turned to the production of cement, malted milk, and pottery during the Prohibition, plunged to a mysterious death from the sixth floor of The Cavalier. In the early 1930s, the resort had a staff of about 435 and the hotel could accommodate 367 guests.

Even when fully occupied, there were more employees than guests. In these early days, The Cavalier followed a strict "reservation only" policy with all guests. The Cavalier had rightfully earned the nickname "Aristocrat of the Virginia Seashore", and served aristocrats from all over the country.

1935 and Beyond
In 1935, Sam Snead won the Virginia Open at the Cavalier Golf Course. By this time, the hotel was hailed as Virginia Beach's largest industry. We employed more people and paid more taxes than anyone else. A copy of the Pocahontas' Dining Room menu from the 30s shows the American Plan for only $1.50. This included an appetizer, soup, main entree, vegetables, salads, desserts, rolls, cheese, and beverage. How's that for inflation?

In addition to US Presidents, other famous guests included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Will Rogers, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, Mary Pickford, Betty Grable, and the infamous Fatty Arbuckle. When Fatty visited, he would rent an entire floor for his entourage.

US Navy
On October 3, 1942, Uncle Sam told The Cavalier he wanted it, and the U.S. Navy moved in. Until June 1, 1945, the U.S. Navy operated a Radar Training School on the Cavalier grounds. There was such a shortage of space that the stables were cleaned and then used as a living quarters for some of the sailors. During the WWII black out, curtains were placed over the ceiling glass and windows of the swimming pool area, the water was drained, and the bottom of the swimming pool was used as a classroom.

Although living conditions may have been cramped, The Cavalier chefs were retained by the Navy. Those who attended the Radar Training School believe they ate better than any other naval personnel. The year following the Navy's stay, the Navy rented 130 rooms to house single officers.

After the war, Pullman discontinued its rail service to The Cavalier. This was due to the widespread adoption of a new-fangled invention, the automobile. On July 1, 1953, Hank Ketchum, his wife, Alice, and his world famous son, Dennis, were guests at the hotel. Mr. Ketchum subsequently drew several "Dennis the Menace" cartoons based upon his family's stay. In 1959, the Cavalier lost one of its clay tennis courts due to the construction of Pacific Avenue.

Cavalier Oceanfront Opens
Cavalier Oceanfront opened in 1973, and it was decided the original Cavalier, renamed Cavalier on the Hill, would be closed. Cavalier Oceanfront was built 11 stories high, and approximately 120 feet high. A public auction was held in 1974 selling all contents of the Cavalier on the Hill. However thanks to popular demand, Cavalier on the Hill reopened in 1976.

During the 1970s, President Gerald Ford spoke at The Cavalier before the Virginia Bar Association, and President Jimmy Carter spoke before the Southern Baptist Convention. When George Bush was Ambassador to China, he also spoke here before the Virginia Bar Association.

During 1990, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for Humanities was a guest of The Cavalier. Yet another famous guest who has stayed with us in the 90s was Ann Miller. In the mid-80s, Ann played Broadway in "Sugar Babies" with Mickey Rooney before taking the play to Europe. In 1992, part of the six hour NBC TV movie on the life of Jackie Kennedy was filmed in the original Cavalier on the Hill.

The Cavalier Today
The Cavalier of today consists of two hotels: the original Cavalier on the Hill and the Cavalier Oceanfront, for a total of 400 guest rooms.

The Cavalier features four fine restaurants: The Pocahontas Dining Room, The Sand Dollar, The Breezeway Cafe, and The Hunt Room Grille. The resort contains a 1,500 square foot health club, numerous sport facilities, and two Olympic-size pools to name a few of the amenities. Its history continues today, tying in the
old with the new.

Throughout its fascinating history, the Cavalier has maintained the highest standards of excellence. Seven United States Presidents have laid their heads on our pillows and eaten at our tables. Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon all enjoyed the luxury, the tradition, and the view that only the Cavalier can provide. We now invite you to experience that same excellence.