History
A Grand Beginning
The year was 1913. Jazz was on the rise, Houdini was performing his great escapes, Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as the 28th president, and Lynchburg’s premier grand downtown hotel, The Virginian, opened.
The Beaux-Arts style building, designed by Verus T. Ritter, stood five stories tall at the corner of 8th and Church Streets. Its arched windows on the first floor, ornate lobby with 30-foot barrel-vaulted ceilings and curved skylights, and grand marble stairs with wrought iron railings exuded luxury.
Lynchburg was hopping. The automobile was catching on and more and more people were visiting Lynchburg, which was becoming a hub for hosiery, shoes, and shopping. The Virginian provided the perfect respite for travelers and a lovely setting for local weddings and events.
A Storied Past
The Virginian Hotel provided the setting for special moments in our guests’ lives for decades. It was the gorgeous backdrop for their weddings, their anniversaries, and their company dinners. The Virginian Hotel hosted numerous public and private events with many esteemed guests including Ronald Reagan in 1957.
Like all stories, The Virginian Hotel’s chapters have both triumphs and challenges. The hotel struggled through the 1960s before finally closing. In 1972, the building was reopened as the first dormitory for Lynchburg Baptist College, now Liberty University. In 1983, the upper floors were renovated for low-income housing, and the large, elegant first-floor spaces were enclosed and used for storage.
Eleanor Roosevelt, The Virginian Hotel, 1940
An Eye on the Future
As the building entered the 2010s, a new chapter began. While its grand ballroom had been quietly hidden from view for decades, much of its original marble, ornamental plaster, millwork, and ironwork remained intact. In their first hotel project, George Stanley and Blair Godsey led a gifted team of designers, trade artisans, and construction managers to painstakingly restore and enhance a building that had all but disappeared for 40 years.
The Virginian underwent a four-year complete renovation starting in 2014 that was meticulous in every detail. Supported through a City of Lynchburg performance agreement and utilizing historic tax credit programs administered through the National Park Service and Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources, the building meets rigorous preservation standards. Partnering with Hilton, The Virginian Hotel joined the international chain’s elite Curio Collection of one-of-a-kind luxury properties. Today, the hotel offers the finest modern amenities, while saving the best of its historic character. The hotel won the 2021 Hilton Connie Award, has the #1 ranking on Trip Advisor, and has consistently achieved AAA’s four-diamond rating. A passionate and gifted management and operational team is bringing the Virginian to the highest level.
You are invited to become part of our history — and our future!
“The Virginian & Me”
A Documentary by Steve Stinson
In 2022, in honor of the hotel’s 4-year anniversary of reopening, producer Steve Stinson created a documentary taking a trip back in time to honor the legacy of the staff, guests, and local residents who passed through the doors of our historic building from 1913 -1969. This incredible film is now available for free public viewing here.
