National Register of Historic Places

Chamberlin Hotel

Hampton (Independent City), Hampton County, Virginia
Listed
March 21, 2007
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
07000190

About this property

The Chamberlin is a retirement community in Hampton, Virginia, overlooking Hampton Roads 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., with Warren and Wetmore consulting. It replaced an earlier Chamberlin Hotel, designed by Washington, D.C., architects John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz 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.

Location

Hampton (Independent City), Hampton County, Virginia
37.00087, -76.31288

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Chamberlin Hotel

This page lists Chamberlin Hotel. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Chamberlin Hotel report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Fort Monroe
Early Republic
0.3 mi
Old Point Comfort Lighthouse
Industrial
0.4 mi
Chapel of the Centurion
Industrial
0.4 mi
Quarters 1
Industrial
0.5 mi
Clark, Reuben, House
Industrial
1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Hampton Roads — Day 1
1862Civil War
1.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Chamberlin Hotel listed on the National Register?

Chamberlin Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 2007.

What type of historic resource is Chamberlin Hotel?

Chamberlin Hotel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Chamberlin Hotel?

The period of significance for Chamberlin Hotel is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Chamberlin Hotel?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Chamberlin Hotel will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Hampton County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Hampton County.

Explore HamptonCounty ›

More historic places in Virginia

Browse all historic places in Virginia.

View Virginiahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Virginia history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Virginiahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Chamberlin Hotel will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report