Monticello Hotel

The Monticello Hotel opened in 1926, and in 1927 boasted of having the "largest searchlight in the world" on its roof, which was claimed to be visible three hundred miles away. The light scanned the heavens over Charlottesville, and was often pointed at distant Monticello at night. Famous guests at the Monticello Hotel included Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, band leaders Tommy Dorsey and Guy Lombardo, writer Gertrude Stein, and movie stars Robert Taylor, Sterling Hayden, and Joan Blondell. The dining room of the Monticello Hotel was locally renowned until it closed in 1989 and was converted into office space. Today the hotel houses condominium apartments.

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Revised June 12, 1996
This page is maintained by Sue Weber.