Live Beach Adjacent – and Privately – in Virginia Beach

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Often a spring break and summer vacation spot, Virginia Beach has a rich history that dates back to Jamestown – but our historical shelter this week isn’t quite that old.

Located where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach is part of a swath of cities that make up the Hampton Roads region. It’s the same point that was once known as Cape Henry when British colonists came to North America in 1607.

After landing on Cape Henry after a 144-day sea voyage, the three ships led by Capt. Christopher Newport made landfall there, but moved on under orders from the Virginia Company of London, to look for a spot further inland, in what would become Jamestown. 

It would be several years later before former indentured servant Adam Thoroughgood would settle in Virginia Beach, but by 1637, it was named New Norfolk County (after Thoroughood’s home in England) and was attracting more settlers, and by 1691, it was divided again to form Norfolk and Princess Anne counties – which included Virginia Beach. 

It wouldn’t be until 1952, in fact, that Virginia Beach would be its own city. Between the 1600s and the 1950s, Virginia Beach grew into a resort, thanks first to rail service to the coast, and then later – in 1922 when Virginia Beach Boulevard was finished, by car, truck, and bus. 

Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons

In 1927, The Cavalier Hotel — which would host the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fatty Arbuckle, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby — opened. And three years earlier, an adorable bungalow was built just a half-mile away in the Linkhorn Park neighborhood.

While the home does need some updating, Realtor Mary Miller Gentry with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Towne Realty said overall, the home is in good shape.

And while we see floors that need refinishing, bathrooms that – depending on how period-specific you want to be – need to be either completely replaced or given a whole lot of love, and a kitchen that definitely needs updates (and perhaps something more in line with the Roaring Twenties), at a $736,000 price point, the terrific bones, built-ins, and original embellishments on this home make it worth a look.

After all, the original heart of pine floors, plaster walls, large hallways, and porches are worth something, right? 

And, it’s private – sitting on nearly an acre and surrounded by a well-manicured front lawn. It’s also about five blocks from the beach and Virginia Beach’s boardwalk, and three blocks to the Princess Anne Country Club. 

Want to see more of the home? Click here. Want to see more historical shelters? Check here.

Bethany Erickson

Bethany Erickson