HOTEL CHAMBERLIN
Old Point Comfort, Hampton
Built 1890-96; burned 1920
Photograph: Virginia Historical Society
The Chamberlin was one of a series of hotels to grace Old Point Comfort on the peninsula containing Fort Monroe
and marking the entrance to Hampton Roads harbor. One was the antebellum Hygeia Hotel, which was razed only
six years after the opening of the more modern Chamberlin. The first Hotel Chamberlin, pictured here, was the
brainchild of restaurateur and gaming magnate, John Chamberlin. He chose Smithmeyer and Pelz, architects of the
Library of Congress, to design the hotel. This massive Queen Anne establishment was to feature the latest in amenities,
including an on-site ice plant, laundry, billiard rooms, a bowling alley, an electrical plant, as well as shops and railroad
and telegraph offices. The public spaces were impressive. The dining room was given a large gallery to house the
dinner orchestra, and large windows affording a view of Hampton Roads. The ballroom was 1,000 square feet in
size. The current Georgian style Chamberlin occupies the site.
Next: (First) Homestead
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