Jefferson Hotel (Richmond, Virginia)

The Jefferson Hotel is a luxury hotel in Richmond, Virginia, United States, opened in 1895. In 1969,^[5] it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jefferson Hotel
The historic Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond
General information
Location	101 W Franklin St., Richmond, Virginia, U.S., 23220[1]
Coordinates	37°32′39.42″N 77°26′43.09″W
Opening	October 31, 1895
Owner	CCA Financial[2]
Technical details
Floor count	6
Other information
Number of rooms	166
Number of suites	15
Number of restaurants	2
Parking	on-site valet and self parking
Website
www.jeffersonhotel.com
Jefferson Hotel
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
Richmond City Historic District
Location in Virginia Show map of Virginia Location in United States Show map of the United States
Location	104 W. Main St., Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates	37°32′39″N 77°26′44″W
Area	1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built	1895
Architect	Carrère and Hastings, J. Kevan Peebles
Architectural style	Late 19th and early 20th century American Movements
NRHP reference No.	69000351[3]
VLR No.	127-0001
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 4, 1969
Designated VLR	November 5, 1968[4]

The Jefferson is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.^[6] On site is "Lemaire", a restaurant named after Etienne Lemaire, who served as maitre d'hotel to Thomas Jefferson from 1794 through the end of his presidency.

History

Lobby of The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA 2024.

Tobacco baron Lewis Ginter planned the development of the hotel as a premier property in the city of Richmond. It was designed in the Spanish Baroque Style by Carrère and Hastings, noted national architects based in New York City who later designed the New York Public Library. Construction began in 1892 and the hotel opened for business on October 31, 1895.^[7] After a fire gutted the interior of the hotel in 1901, it had a lengthy restoration. It reopened in 1907. It has received restorations and upgrades of systems through the years.

Patrons have included thirteen United States presidents, writers, and celebrities, including Henry James, Charles Lindbergh, The Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, and Anthony Hopkins.^[8]

On March 29, 1901, there was a wire fire that destroyed three-fifths of the hotel. There were no casualties; however, the marble statue of Thomas Jefferson sculpted by Edward Virginius Valentine was almost destroyed. The sculptor and crew pushed the statue on a mattress and pulled it to safety. During the rescue process, the head broke off.^{[9][citation needed]} Eventually, the sculpture was repaired. In March 1944, another fire occurred. Six people were killed during the fire.^{[citation needed]}

In the check-in lobby, known as the Palm Court, nine original stained glass Tiffany windows with the hotel's monogram remain. The three stained glass windows above the front desk and the stained glass dome are reproductions.^{[citation needed]}

Alligators in the lobby

In his autobiography The Moon's a Balloon (1972), Academy Award-winning actor David Niven described a trip from New York to Florida in the late 1930s, during which he decided to spend the night at the Jefferson Hotel. Niven said that, as he was signing the guest registry in the lobby, his eyes snapped open with amazement when he noticed a full-sized alligator swimming in a small pool located six feet from the reception desk.^[10] The alligators at the Jefferson became world-famous. Old Pompey, the last alligator living in the marble pools of the Jefferson's Palm Court, survived until 1948.^[11][a] Bronze statues of the alligators now decorate the hotel. Its restaurant, Lemaire, has a theme of alligator motifs.^[12]

In culture

The hotel and its restaurant were used for filming interior scenes for the 1981 American film My Dinner with Andre, featuring Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory.^[13]

Jefferson Hotel, early 20th century