The Chamberlin is a retirement community in Hampton, Virginia, overlooking

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...

at Old Point Comfort. It was formerly known as the Chamberlin Hotel, named for the famed restaurateur and original owner John Chamberlin. The nine-story building sits on historic Fort Monroe and overlooks Fort Wool. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it has been renovated from its former life as a hotel into a luxury retirement community for people aged 55 and up. The second floor has retained the hotel atmosphere while the rest of the floors have been renovated and turned into one- and two-bedroom apartments. A few apartments are used as guest quarters for visiting relatives of residents. The current building opened in 1928 as the Chamberlin-Vanderbilt Hotel, under the direction of

Marcellus E. Wright Sr. Marcellus Eugene Wright Sr. (April 8, 1881 – December 7, 1962) was an American architect. He was active in Richmond, Virginia and the surrounding region during the first half of the 20th century. In addition to his work on hotels, Wright was a ...

, with Warren and Wetmore consulting.National Register of Historic Places - Registration Form
National Park Service It replaced an earlier Chamberlin Hotel, designed by Washington, D.C., architects

John L. Smithmeyer John L. Smithmeyer (1832–1908) was an American architect. Biography He was born in Vienna, Austria in 1832 and came to the U.S. in 1848. He studied architecture in Chicago and began an architectural practice in Indianapolis. After serving in t ...

and

Paul J. Pelz Paul Johannes Pelz (18 November 1841 – 30 March 1918) was a German-American architect, best known as the main architect of the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Life and career Paul J. Pelz was born November 18, 1841, in Seitendorf (now ...

and completed in 1896, which had in turn replaced the Hygeia. The current building originally had two large cupolas on its roof but these were removed during World War II because they were visible from out in the ocean beyond the Virginia Capes and it was feared that they could potentially aid a hostile German warship cruising offshore in targeting Fort Monroe. They were never replaced after the war.

References

External links

Official websiteHistory of the building and siteReese, Fraklin W., "U.S. Hotel Chamberlin", ''Coast Artillery Journal'', March-April 1942, Vol. 85, No. 2
Beaux-Arts architecture in Virginia Buildings and structures in Hampton, Virginia Historic district contributing properties in Virginia Hotel buildings completed in 1928 Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Hampton, Virginia Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Retirement communities Tourist attractions in Hampton, Virginia 1928 establishments in Virginia {{HamptonVA-NRHP-stub