Broadcast November 30, 2004  - WVEC television

By Dottie Wikan

There's new life for the Chamberlin Hotel on Fort Monroe. It has a new owner and a new direction.

It will be turned into a retirement center with an emphasis on retired military. There also are plans to build a assisted living facility nearby and a three-level parking garage.

That's the plan submitted by OPC Hampton LLC, which signed a 50-year ground lease with the Army and which was executed by the Norfolk District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The first hotel on the site was not called the Chamberlin. It was the Hygeia, a grand building overlooking the Chesapeake Bay built in 1802. The Hygeia even served as a hospital during the Civil War. But it was eventually torn down. In its place was the first Hotel Chamberlin, which opened for business in 1896.

It was razed in 1920 and the current building replaced it.

A series of owners renovated the 283-room Chamberlin. The most recent effort began in 1998, when Pelican Properties International Corporation bought the property for $5.4 million. At that time, company officials said they'd return the hotel to its original splendor.

But those dreams were not realized. The September 11 terror attacks ended the effort. Fort Monroe, like all military installations, boosted security, which made it all but impossible for guests to get onto the post to get to the Chamberlin.

Pelican Properties International Corporation filed for bankrupty and the Chamberlin has sat in limbo until now.

Work could begin as early as next month. The lease takes effect December 1.
 

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