The Cavalier - Self-Guided Tour

ESTA BL I S H E D 1927 | R E I MAGI NE D 201 8

SELF-GUIDED TOUR WELCOME TO THE EPITOME OF EXCELLENCE AND OPULENCE

LOCALLY SOURCED INGREDIENTS and a sumptuous outdoor garden setting

JOIN US IN THE RALEIGH ROOM BEFORE OR AFTER DINNER FOR CRAFT COCKTAILS & LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

CONTENTS History Meets the Future................................................................ 1 Credits................................................................................................... 2 Before The Cavalier.......................................................................... 3 The “Finest Resort Hotel in America�.......................................4 The Architecture................................................................................6 Big Bands and The Beach Club...................................................8 The Navy Takes Over..................................................................... 10 The Decline..........................................................................................11 From Possible Demolition to Expensive Restoration.........12 Renovation......................................................................................... 14 Hotel Map........................................................................................... 16 The Tour.............................................................................................. 18 The Cavalier Residences.............................................................. 24 Presidents..........................................................................................25 Celebrities......................................................................................... 26 Ghosts.................................................................................................27 The Story of the Crest.................................................................. 34

Image courtesy of Norfolk Historical Society

Photo courtesy of Sargeant Memorial Collection

History meets the future

Top Photo: Photo courtesy of Sargeant Memorial Collection 2013 Cavalier Board of Directors & City of Virginia Beach (L to R): Steve Davis, Frank Reidy, Bart Frye, Ed Ruffin, John Lawson, Bruce Thompson, Mayor Will Sessoms, Jim Spore, Bob Howard, Steve Herbert, Lee Westnedge, Mike Corso

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THE REBIRTH OF THE CAVALIER “ IT TAKES A VILLAGE” ARCHITECTURE | HOTEL: Greg Rutledge | AIA Design Principal, Historic Architect, Hanbury Richard Rusinak, AIA | Principal, Architect, Hanbury Dave Mykins | Principal, PE Stroud Pence & Associates Structural Engineers Mike Cherwa | Principal, PE Cherwa Ewing Mechanical & Electrical Engineers Robin Ewing | Principal, PE Cherwa Ewing Mechanical & Electrical Engineers ARCHITECTURE | BEACH CLUB: Claudio Salazar | Architect, NBWW INTERIORS | HOTEL: Patricia Timm INTERIORS | BEACH CLUB: Wimberly and Associates INTERIORS | RESTAURANTS: JC Schaub | Owner, 5th Edition Design HISTORIC REGISTRATION & TAX CREDITS: Molly Ward | Secretary of Natural Resources, State of VA Julie Langan | Director, Virginia Department of Historic Resources Joe Ellen Hensley | Historical Architect National Parks Service Mac Rawls | Former Chair, Virginia Beach Historic Preservation Commission Paige Pollard | Commonwealth Preservation Group Mike Bush | Development Controller, Gold Key | PHR CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH OFFICIALS: Will Sessoms | Mayor, City of Virginia Beach Jim Spore | City Manager, City of Virginia Beach (Retired) Steve Herbert | Deputy City Manager, City of Virginia Beach (Retired) Barry Frankenfield | Planning Director, City of Virginia Beach HOTEL CONSTRUCTION/ PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Ron Lauster | Project Manager, WM Jordan John Hancock and Jim Partin | Project Managers, Gold Key Development CAVALIER RESIDENCES CONSTRUCTION / PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Rock Bell | Project Manager, Frye Properties

FINANCE & BANKING: Bob Howard | Chief Investment Officer, Gold Key | PHR Jeff Robertson | Executive Vice President, TowneBank Billy Foster | President, TowneBank Laurie Arcand | Senior Vice President, TowneBank Tom Dillon | Senior Vice President, Union Bank & Trust David Durham | President, Fulton Bank SITE AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Kona A. Gray | Principal, EDSA William “Billy” Almond | President & CEO WPL Site Design Walter Weeks | PE, WPL Site Design HOMES AND LOT SALES: Catherine Sassone | Cavalier Realty Associates

SEAHILL SPA: Suzanne Garcia | President & CEO, SeaHill Spa Construction Management by: Noah Enterprises, Inc. OPERATIONS : Axel Suray | Executive Vice President of Hotel Operations, Gold Key | PHR Cherie Davis | Managing Director, The Cavalier Chelsey Gilbert, Christopher Salyer, Christine Hunter, Bret Campbell, Mark Schnupp

HUMAN RESOURCES : Elizabeth Weller | Executive Vice President of Administration Gold Key | PHR Jon Shapiro | Talent Acquisition Manager, Gold Key | PHR

HOTEL BRANDING: Vincent Ficarra | Founder, Revolver New York RESTAURANT CONCEPTING AND Elizabeth Keating | VP, Strategy & Business PROJECT MANAGEMENT Development, Revolver New York Chuck Sass | Executive Vice President of Food Alexandra Thom | Project Manager, Revolver and Beverage Operations, Gold Key | PHR New York Greg Barnhill | Corporate Chef, Gold Key | PHR PUBLIC RELATIONS: Dan Elinan | Executive Chef, The Cavalier Mike Stommel | Owner, Lucky Break PR TECHNOLOGY: VIDEOGRAPHY: Josh Allen and Chris Dunlop | Gold Key | PHR Pete Leddy and Mark Atkinson | Otto Design + Marketing PROCUREMENT & INSTALLATION: Terry Lavey and Dave Dennis | Gold Key | PHR LEGAL AND ACCOUNTING: Patricia Timm Lee Westnedge | General Counsel, Gold Key | PHR Chris Thompson RJ Nutter II | Managing Partner, JC Schaub | Owner, 5th Edition Design Troutman Sanders LLP LIGHTING: Kugler Ning Lighting Conrad M. Hall | Board of Trustees, Virginia Historical Society TARNISHED TRUTH DISTILLERY Andrew Yancey | Co-owner & Operator, Brian Carson | Chief Financial Officer, Tarnished Truth Distillery Gold Key | PHR Josh Canada | Co-founder, Pat Shuler | Senior Partner, Tarnished Truth Distillery Dixon Hughes Goodman Larry Ebersold | Master Distiller SPECIAL THANKS TO: Equipment Design and Manufactured by: Bryan Cuffee, Liz Dyer, Miles Colley, Vendome Copper & Brass Works INC Mary Jane Payne, Gary King, Dusty Bradshaw and The Gold Key | PHR team Tarnished Truth Branding by: who supported Cavalier Associates, the Neltner Small Batch project management team, lenders, WM Jordan and their subcontractors during this 41/2 year restoration of The Cavalier.

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BEFORE THE CAVALIER The idea of constructing a grand hotel on the hill, perfectly perched and overlooking the Virginia Beach oceanfront, began soon after the Princess Anne Hotel, a beach resort, was ravaged by fire on June 10, 1907.

For the next 20 years, there were regular reports of hotels to be built as replacements for the Princess Anne. Plans were initially laid for smaller, more intimate venues but eventually, the goal shifted to an upscale concept to match the economic growth of Virginia Beach.

The Cavalier Hotel was, in many ways, the culmination of several decades of this rapid growth. Virginia Beach went from small town to resort town in the 1920s construction boom.

The first rail line to Virginia Beach was laid in 1883 and by 1885 the Princess Anne Hotel had been constructed. By 1904, the Norfolk & Southern Railroad Co. had completed an electrified railroad loop from Norfolk to Virginia Beach and a return leg via Cape Henry, which paved the way for the continuation of Virginia Beach expansion.

Seaside Park was created in 1906, and the Virginia Beach Casino opened in 1912. In 1924, a daily bus service was established between Norfolk and Virginia Beach. A year later, in 1925, the opening of a water pipeline from Norfolk to Virginia Beach alleviated the city’s water supply limitations.

These massive improvements to infrastructure, entertainment and to the overall accessibility of the city via railway, quickly positioned Virginia Beach as the can’t-miss destination in the mid-Atlantic, bringing rapid development to the Oceanfront – stepping-stones toward the birth of The Cavalier.

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THE “FINEST RESORT HOTEL IN AMERICA” Some say The Cavalier is what put Virginia Beach on the map.

At the grand opening of the magnificent hotel on the hill on April 4, 1927, Gen. J. Leslie Kincaid, president of the American Hotels Corporation, had the highest of praise for the resort.

“It is the finest resort hotel in America,” he said, “and I have seen them all.”

Featuring every amenity imaginable, guest rooms left no detail to be desired. The Cavalier pool was filled with treated salt water and big bands with full orchestras kept patrons dancing until dawn.

The hotel was built on what once was a sand dune, and cost $2 million – $1.5 million to build and $500,000 to furnish. The money was raised amongst 1,000 stockholders.

Photo courtesy of Norfolk Historical Society Construction of the luxurious hotel began in 1926 and continued for 13 months. At times, there were as many as 225 men on the construction site who laid more than a half-million bricks – the largest amount of bricks used on a single building in the state of Virginia.

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Once erected, The Cavalier Hotel included 195 guest rooms. Depending on the package, room prices ranged from $4 a day to $18 a day – including three multi-course meals. The hotel also had offices for a doctor, a photographer and a stockbroker, with a live ticker tape from the New York Stock Exchange.

At one time, the hotel also included a broadcast center for radio station WSEA, which was at the time, one of only three radio stations which broadcasted coast to coast. It was during one such broadcast, that Norfolk Mayor S. Heth Tyler made a statement to Charles Lindbergh, after his legendary flight from New York to Paris aboard The Spirit of St. Louis. “Well done,” the Mayor commented.

Photo courtesy of Norfolk Historical Society

Photo courtesy of Norfolk Historical Society

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Photo courtesy of Sargeant Memorial Collection

THE ARCHITECTURE Typified by exquisite plaster ornamentation atop columns which appear to scrape the sky, The Cavalier’s Jeffersonian inspired architecture was designed in the spirit of Monticello, with nods to locations such as Woodlawn, as well as The Lawn at the University of Virginia.

Influences derived from notable architects and historical places are, in and of themselves, some of the most remarkable aspects of the architecture of this grand hotel on the hill. James Gibbs, and his work at places such as the Church of St. Mary-Le-Strand at Aldwych in London, inspired the decorative water tower which crowns The Cavalier.

The plaster ceiling in the Rotunda lobby was inspired by the ceiling in the Moses Myers House in Norfolk, while the terrazzo floors and old pine wood trim were meant to invoke Colonial era homes. This is also true of the landscape design; which was specifically planned to conjure up musings of the early Virginia plantation houses of Shirley, Brandon, Yorktown and Westover.

These influences extend to the serpentine walls, tall posts, sloping front lawn, sunken garden and brick walkways at the grand entrance of The Cavalier.

The hotel building is constructed in a “Y” with the long leg of the building extending east toward the ocean and reaching seven stories in height, while the two branches of the hotel extend northwest and southwest and are six stories tall.

The exterior of the hotel is Flemish bond brick with numerous cast stone decorative elements. There is a belt course with dentils between the fifth and sixth stories as well as a classical balustrade along the roofline.

Iconic pilasters link the cornice to the balustrade along the eastern end, while alternating quoins highlight the corners and link the cornice with the balustrade on the two wings.

The corners are capped at the roofline by decorative piers which echo the piers at the Cavalier Drive entry.

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The upper faรงade of the hotel facing the ocean features a classical temple format on the top two levels with the quoins and two central pilasters echoing the entry pavilion on the north end. There is a pediment filled with the familiar garland and swag theme along with a heraldic type shield element.

The center of the roof features the large Water Tower with four finished sides featuring triple arcaded windows, which echo those along the entire first floor, and a pediment highlighted by a round cast stone element.

The hotel is topped by a cast stone cupola serving as a bell tower and features round arches, pilasters at the corners and a copper roof. There is also a large brick chimney abutting the interior of the northwest wing of the hotel.

The main entrance on the northern facade features a classical four-column portico inspired by the east portico of Monticello and accessed by three stone steps. The columns are smooth and capped with Egyptian styled capitals.

Above each column in the cornice is a garland and swag element, and the pediment is pierced by a round window surrounded by undulating plaster elements.

Under the porch is an arched entryway with a central pair of doors and paired single doors on the two sides. A twelve-over-twelve double-hung sash with cast stone sills and lintels flank the entry doors. Above theses side windows are two stone reliefs which also feature garland and swag elements.

The arched entry window and doors are echoed around the three public sides (north, east, south) by a nearly continual arcade of windows behind which are the swimming pool, porches and verandas.

Each corner of the first floor has a single bay entry pavilion with an arched entry, simple pediment and a domed copper roof.

The windows on the rest of the building, serving the individual rooms, are sixover-six double-hung wood sash with cast stone sills for the bedroom and small one-over-one windows for each bathroom. The two shorter rear wings are eight bays long, while the longer ocean side main leg is 11 bays long.

Now gone to make way for the newly erected Cavalier Residences, there were many pines and cypress planted around the hotel, inspired by Magnolia Gardens of Old Charleston, South Carolina.

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BIG BANDS & THE BEACH CLUB On Memorial Day 1929, the iconic Cavalier Beach Club opened to the soundtrack of The McFarland Twins.

A highly sought-after entertainment destination for several decades to come, The Beach Club turned The Cavalier into the most popular venue for big band entertainment, showcasing and broadcasting coast to coast, every major big band leader of the era, including Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, Glenn Miller and Lawrence Welk. In fact, between 1930 and 1950, The Cavalier was the largest contractor of big bands in the world. Each radio broadcast of a new Big Band showcase began with, Live from The Cavalier Beach Club in Virginia Beach”.

Open for Sunday tea dances and evenings under the stars, the best and most popular musicians, in addition to big bands, also performed at The Beach Club. Frank Sinatra sang several sets in the 1960s.

OPENING SOON Today, however, The Cavalier’s Beach Club is being reinvented to offer unrivaled amenities, unsurpassed panoramic views and unimaginable food and beverage offerings.

The new Beach Club will open this summer and feature a secluded, private beach with cabanas, towel and umbrella service, a members’ lounge, a beachside bar, infinity edge swimming pool and spa and much, much more.

We look forward to hosting you.

Top photo courtesy of Sargeant Memorial Collection

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CAVALIER BEACH CLUB

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THE NAVY MOVES IN The Cavalier Hotel continued on as a great success, with few dips in its popularity or profitability, for 15 years until April 1, 1942, when the grand hotel was conscripted by the United States Navy to serve the country as a radar training school during World War II. Nearly every available space was converted into classroom space and living quarters. At this time, all of the hotel furnishings were removed, the pool was drained, black out curtains covered the windows and greenhouse roof and the iconic Cavalier Bell was removed, never to be seen again.

The hotel grounds were said to be so cramped that sailors used the stables as living quarters.

According to VirginiaBeach.com, the hotel chefs were retained by the Navy to feed trainees. This left servicemen in attendance at the school boasting that they ate better than any other naval personnel.

The Virginian-Pilot reported the garage was converted to a repair shop for military vehicles, and German POWs were used to help keep the grounds.

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ON THE DECLINE After World War II, The Cavalier fell into disrepair and began to fall from grace as a shift in vacationing trends, from resorting to more informal kind of getaway, was being embraced.

In the decades following, The Cavalier suffered several ownership changes, off-and-on renovations of mixed effectiveness and the decline of the luxury beach hotel market, leaving it in a precarious position for several generations.

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FROM POSSIBLE DEMOLITION TO ENSUING RESTORATION A family feud between The Cavalier Hotel’s owners led to a court-ordered sale in 2012. Subsequent inspections revealed significant concerns about the property’s structural condition. There were high cost estimates for renovations.

Demolition was planned by every bidder but one group, The Cavalier Associates, a group led by Bruce Thompson, Bart Frye, Larry Goldrich, John Lawson, Frank Reidy and Ed Ruffin.

Attorney R.J. Nutter, of the law firm Troutman Sanders, joined the project right after The Cavalier Associates were alerted of their winning bid, and recounted the difficult process which unfolded.

“The terms of the deal were very draconian,” Nutter said.

When The Associates’ bid was selected, they had to put down 10 percent of the purchase price up front. They also had to close the deal in two months, with no contingencies. This is difficult enough to accomplish when buying one house, much less an 85-year-old hotel and the complications surrounding it.

“Not a game for people who are weak-kneed,” Nutter said.

After a lengthy path through the courts, the property was down-zoned for fewer units. This is when The Cavalier Associates went to work on closing the deal, deciding to monetize land around the hotel for residential properties.

As such, Bart Frye, a Norfolk developer with experience working with tight streets, began to lay out plans.

Next was working on getting a financial package from the city.

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The Virginia Beach City Council came through, granting a series of incentives to help preserve The Cavalier, including a performance-based economic development incentive grant, a green space easement for the lawn and entrance drive, another to rebuild Cavalier Drive as a public street; and much more from taxes collected on the increased value of the hotel properties.

The third phase was to secure historic tax credits.

For such an old and storied hotel, you might think this would be an easy task. Sure, it is a locally significant architecture location, as cited on the hotel’s National Register of Historic Places application. And the high level of entertainment and hotel service it provided during its early years make it locally significant for recreation and social history.

Indeed, in 2014, The Cavalier made the National Register of Historic Places.

Photos courtesy of Echard Wheeler Photography

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RENOVATION In 2014, Gold Key | PHR began the extensive renovation and restoration of the property overseen by Norfolk-based architecture firm Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas.

The painstaking remodel brought new life to many of the original neoclassical features that made The Cavalier a visual oceanfront icon. Exterior details – such as the pedestals and finials, the iconic-style pilasters and the portico with classical columns – were meticulously and respectfully restored.

Much effort went into salvaging each of the original windows on the first floor and in public spaces which required several hundred man hours, with most of the work completed by hand.

Inside, much of the original paneling, plaster ornamentation, terrazzo flooring and painted ceilings also were thoughtfully reconditioned to historical accuracy.

The original hotel design had 195 guest rooms. They were reconfigured to create the more spacious 85 standard rooms and suites which make up the reimagined Cavalier.

It is with great pleasure that we reopen the grand doors of The Cavalier and usher in a new era of magnificence in Virginia Beach. On behalf of The Cavalier Associates, we welcome you to help write the next century of stories for The Cavalier.

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Renovation photos courtesy of Echard Wheeler Photography

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Crystal Ballroom

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Meeting Rooms

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Grand Lobby

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Lower Lobby

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Hunt Room

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View of the Distillery

GROUND FLOOR 15 14

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Spa

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Becca

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Fitness Center

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Becca Garden

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Plunge Pool and Loggia

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Sunken Garden

10 East Porch

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Gift Shop & Museum

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Raleigh Room

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Guest Rooms

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Raleigh Loggia

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Memorabilia Shop

LOWER LEVEL

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The Tour 1

CRYSTAL BALLROOM

As the largest event space in the hotel, The Crystal Ballroom can accommodate up to 200 guests and often did, as the Roaring 20’s rolled on with the exuberant, freewheeling popular culture of the decade. Many nights were spent dancing and drinking under the high ceilings and large historic windows.

Over several decades, the Crystal Ballroom had been decimated and chopped up into smaller rooms with different levels.

During the renovation process, The Cavalier Associates’ crew removed all those added walls, releveled the floors and restored all the original casework behind the walls, transforming the ballroom back to its original grandeur.

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MEETING ROOMS

Modern break out space created to host meetings and smaller events will feature drop down screens and projectors, state of the art audio visual equipment and more.

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GRAND LOBBY

The original terrazzo floor and Jeffersonian-era woodworking greet guests upon arrival to the reception area.

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LOWER LOBBY

Once housing a boutique, barber shop, beauty parlor, gown shop, health studio, commercial photographer, NYSE ticker-tape, dining room for chauffeurs and more, the Lower Lobby was a gathering space for guests prior to checking in or out. Later, the area was transformed into locker rooms for the pool.

After the restoration, the original flooring was brought back to life, and much of the original molding was kept in place. The Lower Lobby provides access to Hunt Room, Tarnished Truth Distillery, the SeaHill Spa and Executive Offices.

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HUNT ROOM

Native foul, such as ducks, were hunted on the expansive 4,000 acre property of The Cavalier when it opened in 1927. When the hunters had taken their bags of game, they returned to the hotel where the chef would expertly prepare the harvest to the guest taste. The hunters would dine, still in hunting togs, before an open fire in the Hunt Room.

The room retained its historic floor plan, while the grand fireplace underwent a massive restoration after it was discovered to be structurally compromised. As a part of the restoration, brick masons meticulously removed each brick one by one, reinforced the fireplace with massive, two-ton steel beams, and re-laid each brick back into the fireplace- in its original order and location.

Today, Hunt Room will serve a specially curated menu to be paired with spirits and libations from our on-site distillery, Tarnished Truth.

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DISTILLERY

What started as small idea quickly morphed into a $5 million investment in the finest distillery equipment in the world. At the time, no one knew Tarnished Truth Distilling Company would be the first craft distillery to be located inside a hotel in the country.

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Located at the heart of The Cavalier and extending upward several floors, Tarnished Truth Distilling Company is distinctively styled in the ancient process of barrel aging fine libations. Brought to life in handcrafted copper and brass equipment by our Kentucky partner, Vendome Copper and Brass Company, hand-picked Virginia-sourced ingredients are distilled in small batches, setting these carefully crafted spirits apart from any others.

Sample our superb portfolio, featuring our signature bourbon, rye whiskey and AVA Vodka, or take our bottled craft spirits home with you. Tarnished Truth will also offer private and hourly tours, flight tastings, and a private room for dinners, cocktail classes and special occasions.

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SPA

An alluring retreat for the mind, body and soul, SeaHill Spa offers guests an unparalleled array of treatments in luxurious, lavishly appointed and serenely soothing surroundings.

Located off the lower level lobby, SeaHill is a 6,200-square-foot escape featuring a full service hair and nail salon, nine massage treatment rooms, deep soaking tubs, a pink Himalayan Salt walled sauna and a spa retail boutique.

While strolling through the magnificent SeaHill Spa, guests will be sure to note the exposed concrete encased steel columns, one of the state-of-the-art design aspects of the hotel construction.

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FITNESS CENTER

Thankfully for those guests who are looking for a great workout, the gym is one location inside The Cavalier where the clock has not been turned back. The workout area features modern-day machines.

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PLUNGE POOL & LOGGIA

Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald was said to have been inspired to pen the timeless classic, “The Great Gatsby” during one of several stays at The Cavalier in 1927.

He, his wife and daughter enjoyed long days by the saltwater pool – “The Plunge,” as it was dubbed then.

Afterwards, when the U.S. Navy took possession of the hotel during World War II, the pool was drained and used 24 hours per day as a radar/ sonar training school for young sailors.

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After the war, the water was returned to the pool and the pool, returned to the community. It would go on to host many swim meets, diving competitions and birthday parties.

Today, The Plunge has been completely resurfaced and restored, donning the crest of The Cavalier and retaining its saline-based, saltwater roots.

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GREAT LAWN LOGGIA

Stepping onto the Great Lawn Loggia, visitors of The Cavalier can behold the Great Lawn and an uninterrupted view of The Cavalier Beach Club and the Atlantic Ocean.

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RALEIGH ROOM

The perfect mix of old world and new, The Raleigh Room is a re-imagined social space that nods to the traditions of the grand historic hotel.

Originally nicknamed the Lounge, the Raleigh Room retained its original checkerboard terrazzo floor and its large, square support beams with historic plaster capitals, and fluted pilasters along the porch wall.

Modern style and Southern gentility have been melded into a new interpretation of this grand salon, where you can enjoy high tea in the afternoon or meet for proper cocktails in the evening, when the space transforms into the social hub of the hotel, boasting an impressive grand piano and featuring nightly live music.

The Raleigh Room will also include game tables, opulent drink carts and plush seating set among a luminous back bar.

With its classic, yet contemporary decor, The Raleigh Room is the quintessential Southern lounge reinvented, for guests who embrace the good life.

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RALEIGH ROOM LOGGIA

The Raleigh Room Loggia offers an opportunity for social gatherings or quiet repose with a view of the beautiful South Lawn.

The Pocahontas Room

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BECCA

Becca, the culinary essence of The Cavalier, is the modern farm to fork hotel eatery.

Satisfy your palate at the hottest “go-to” dining destination in Virginia Beach.

Becca offers indulgent, decadent American inspired fare, lovingly crafted from the freshest local ingredients, grown on site in Becca’s garden.

Becca, short for Rebecca, is a nod to The Cavalier’s original signature restaurant, called Pocahontas. Named for the famous Native American woman from the Jamestown Colonial settlement, Pocahontas later changed her name to Rebecca.

Becca is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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BECCA GARDEN

Undoubtedly the most spectacular outdoor dining experience in the area, Becca Garden features an impressive stone fireplace and expansive outdoor seating, with a dreamy ocean view.

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SUNKEN GARDEN

A sight to behold, the landscaping alone for the Sunken Garden has been planned for almost a year.

With the original brick stairs descending almost 20 feet into the bottom of the garden, guests of The Cavalier were said to have been amazed at the depth of the valley.

Once home to elegant Garden Parties, Flower Shows, Garden Club Events and much more, the Sunken Garden bloomed wild flowers that the hotel staff would cut daily, and deliver to guest rooms each afternoon.

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GIFT SHOP & MUSEUM

Make new memories at The Cavalier, and enjoy the museum, which preserves old memories of a century of magnificence.

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GUEST ROOMS & SUITES

The Cavalier offers 85 stunning rooms and suites with plush fabrics, designer accents and classic architecture that create a sophisticated residential experience.

The hotel originally featured 195 guest rooms, each 12 feet by 12 feet. In room bathtubs had an extra spigot for salt water, and sinks had an ice-water spigot, with refrigerated water provided from a rooftop tub containing ice blocks and water, then carried to the rooms by gravity- an engineering feat of the era.

During renovations, which spanned the 1940s through the early 2000s, the upstairs sleeping rooms were gutted to the concrete and steel structural frames and completely renovated, including combining some of the historically small rooms into larger suites.

Now, new, rich finishes blend seamlessly with clean lines and grey and white tiles in the bathrooms to provide a mix of history and modern day.

Relax with tranquil gardens, and estate and ocean views that celebrate the beauty of nature. Entertain family and friends in the expansive Hospitality, Presidential, or Legacy Suites—individually designed by each Cavalier Associate.

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MEMORABILIA SHOP

As the tour comes to a close, be sure to take a look at some unique keepsake options before you go.

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THE CAVALIER RESIDENCES Inspired by the visionary aspirations that created the Cavalier Shores of the 1930s, the Cavalier Associates of today have embraced a rare and unique opportunity to create an exclusive community on the grounds surrounding the grand hotel on the hill.

A team of internationally recognized land planners have developed an inspired scheme, seamlessly interweaving and complementing this new community with The Historic Cavalier on the Hill.

Situated among the native live oaks and extensive new landscape features are a select number of estate homes, cottages, brownstones, bungalows and carriage homes. A tree-lined network of paved streets, alleyways and pedestrian walkways winds around the grand hotel, through the neighborhood and connects with the existing streets and pathways of Cavalier Shores and the oceanfront beach.

Discerning home buyers chose to design new homes from four primary styles: Arts and Crafts, Tidewater Shingle, Victorian, and Colonial Revival.

Contact Cavalier Realty Associates for more information, home availability and to take a tour today. Call 757-352-2764 or visit cavalierresidences.com.

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PRESIDENTS The Cavalier has had the honor of hosting several U.S. Presidents, including:

Calvin Coolidge 1923-29

Herbert Hoover 1929-33

Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-45

Harry Truman 1945-53

Dwight Eisenhower 1953-61

John F. Kennedy 1961-63

Lyndon Johnson 1963-69

Richard Nixon 1969-74

Gerald Ford 1974-77

Jimmy Carter 1977-81

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CELEBRITIES Over the decades, the hotel has welcomed some of the most iconic individuals of their time. These are some of those…

Others can be discovered in the portraits hung throughout the hotel.

Muhammad Ali | Champion boxer and activist Fatty Arbuckle | Actor, comedian, director and screenwriter Cab Calloway | Bandleader, composer and singer Rosemary Clooney | Singer and Emmy-nominated actress Adolph Coors | Coors Company founder Bing Crosby | Best-selling recording artist of the 20th century Bette Davis | One of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history Doris Day | Box-office star and popular singer F. Scott Fitzgerald | “The Great Gatsby” author Judy Garland | Singer and actress; Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” Arthur Godfrey | Radio and TV host was nominated for three Emmys Benny Goodman | “King of Swing” bandleader Betty Grable | Actress, singer and dancer Jean Harlow | Actress and 1930s bombshell Bob Hope | Comedian, actor, singer, dancer and Oscars host Sammy Kaye | Composer and bandleader Hank Ketcham | “Dennis the Menace” cartoonist Myrna Loy | Actress with an honorary Academy Award Glenn Miller | Orchestra leader with 23 No. 1 hits in four years Mary Pickford | Actress who won an Oscar for “Coquette” Ginger Rogers | Actress-dancer-singer won Oscar for “Kitty Foyle” Will Rogers | Actor, cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist Artie Shaw | One of the finest clarinetists Frank Sinatra | One of the most popular singers of the 20th century Elizabeth Taylor | Actress won two Oscars Rudy Vallee | One of the first crooners Johnny Weissmuller | Won swimming gold medals, played Tarzan Lawrence Welk | Accordion maestro and TV host

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GHOSTS Stories of guests having a sense about The Cavalier have been recounted for decades.

A sixth-floor sense, that is.

In 2004’s “Ghosts, Witches & Weird Tales of Virginia Beach,” compiled and written by Lillie Gilbert, Belinda Nash and Deni Norred-Williams, there is a haunting account of a hotel helper: “One floor is reported to be home to many ghosts, as manifested by strange noises and whispering voices. The old uniformed gentleman who has ushered many a guest to a particular floor warns that it may be haunted, and suggests the guest may want to request a room on a different floor. … The staff routinely maintain his description matches no one working there. In fact, the described hotel uniform the old fellow was wearing seemed reminiscent of an earlier era.”

The 2006 book “Haunted Virginia Beach,” by Alpheus J. Chewning, tells a tragic, terrifying tale. On June 5, 1929, the lifeless body of brewing company founder Adolph Coors, a guest on the sixth floor, was found on the ground outside the Cavalier Hotel. The Virginia Beach coroner determined Coors had died from a fall.

“No autopsy was performed and the word suicide is not found on any official papers,” Chewning writes, but “it is rumored the windows in his room were found closed and locked. Mr. Coors’s spirit lingers at the old Cavalier Hotel – so say the numerous people who claim to have seen his ghost there. Apparently, his ethereal image has been witnessed in many areas of the hotel and on one occasion possibly recorded on film.”

A woman who attended her niece’s wedding in the 1970s told Chewning that “in some of her developed photos, there was a faint, misty image of what appeared to be a man.”

When handed a photo of Coors, she gasped. The woman identified Coors as the ghostly man in her wedding pictures.

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What do your dreams look like?

BRING THEM TO LIFE AT THE CAVALIER

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THIS CALLS FOR A

Celebration After an extensive $80-million renovation, the historic Cavalier Hotel opens in 2018 as a distinguished member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection.

Whether your celebration calls for 25 or 250, we invite you to host your elegant wedding in one of our uniquely stunning venues; The Cavalier’s artfully restored Grand Ballroom complete with soft, billowing drapery, crystal chandeliers, ambient ceiling rosettes and delicate finishing touches or dance under the stars on our oceanview lawns perched on Virginia Beaches’ highest knoll.

The Cavalier Hotel also boasts 85 luxurious rooms including 23 suites, original marble columns, lush gardens, ornate moldings and architectural details unparalleled throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

In addition, The Cavalier will also feature three signature food & beverage offerings, along with an onsite spa and bourbon distillery.

Book your wedding now and reserve your place in history.

757.425.8555 • SALES@CAVALIERHOTEL.COM CAVALIERHOTEL.COM

SOAK & SAND OCEAN & WARM SAND RITUAL Soak in a bath of the highest quality ocean minerals as you are transported to the rhythm of the sea. Imagine a massage treatment, given while resting on a bed of warm, flowing alpha-quartz sand Quartz sand beds are a rare and restorative highway to relaxation.

HYDRO CAPSULE Our individual hydro capsule takes your experience to a new and sophisticated level, combining Vichy shower, infrared heat and steam. This multi-sensory holistic system combines the natural elements of hydrotherapy with aromatherapy, chromotherapy and heat.

ALSO FEATURING: HIMALAYAN SALT ROOM | SAUNA STEAM ROOM | WHIRLPOOL

Massage | Facial | Event Hair & Make-up | Nails | Blow Dry Bar

AN ALLURING RETREAT FOR THE

MIND, BODY AND SOUL SEAHILL SPA offers guests an unparalleled array of treatments in luxurious, lavishly appointed and serenely soothing surroundings. Beautifully designed with the Virginia beachline as its backdrop, our spa and full service hair and nail salon boasts extraordinary bridal packages, exclusive products, 9 dreamlike treatment rooms, hydrotherapy suites and a co-ed reflection room; all designed to transform every treatment into a unique and personal occasion, a moment created especially for our guests – a beauty and wellness experience.

LOWER LEVEL LOBBY

HOURS: 10AM-6PM

757.321.4545 | SEAHILLSPA.COM

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Classic American fare INSPIRED BY OLD WORLD TRADITIONS

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT NIGHTLY 33

THE STORY OF THE CREST

CREST STORY

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CREST ELEMENTS CROWN As worn by King Charles, who was protected by the original Cavaliers.

SWORD A reference to the original Cavaliers who protected the King, the land and what was to become the American way of life. The sword is the emblem of military honor and should incite the bearer to a just and generous pursuit of virtue, beauty, liberty and strength.

QUILL A reference to the rich history of the property.

BARREL A reference to the distillery as well as the notion that barrels, or casks symbolize that the original bearer was a vendor of liquor, beer or wine, or an innkeeper.

It occurs in family coat of arms and signifies heritage and history.

FOX A motif of the old Hunt Room, the fox is also a symbol of wit and wisdom. The wise, old soul - the fox and the Cavalier both share a wealth of information, experience and knowledge.

KEY A symbol of the hotel, its rooms and its many ways to customize and enjoy a space so rich in history and southern hospitality. The Cavalier key has the year 1927 hidden within its teeth. Unlocking the door unlocks not just an amazing experience, but also invites guests to create their own story and own their own slice of history.

OLIVE BRANCH Referencing the rich food offerings of the property and its garden, the olive branch is also symbolic of staples of the hospitality experience - warmth, cordiality and community.

SCROLL A scroll is another reference to the stories and history of the property.