Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel

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The Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel is a hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

[edit] Early History

The Chalfonte Hotel^[1] was built in 1868 for clients Elisha and Elizabeth Roberts. They purchased a plot of land at North Carolina Avenue and the Boardwalk, Atlantic City from a John DaCosta for $6500.00. The Chalfonte Hotel was constructed during the winter for a cost of $21,000 and could accommodate 140 guests.^[2][3] The hotel was designed by architect L. Adrian Doe (April 21, 1896 — September 27, 1981).^[4] His notable works included the Strand Hotel Atlantic City. Elisha and Elizabeth Roberts later sold the building to the Leeds and Lippincott families. In 1929, the Leeds and the Lippincotts owned two hotels side by side on the boardwalk. The original buildings were separate structures- the Chalfonte^[5] and Haddon Hall.^[6] Electricity was added to the city in July 1882 and tourism began to boom.^[7]

The Haddon Hall building was erected around 1893 and the two properties were merged to form the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel under the Leeds and Lippincott Co. Architect Addison Hutton (1834—1916)^[8] was commissioned to design the Haddon Hall hotel building. The Chalfonte-Haddon Hall consisted of 1,000 rooms and was 15 stories tall. At the time of its completion it was the city's largest hotel by capacity.

In 1943 under the command of Col. Robert C. McDonald, M.C., (November 27, 1943—June 30, 1944) Haddon Hall was used as Atlantic City Air Forces Training & Reception Center Hospital. More than 40 of the local hotels were taken over by the United States Military and titled command center #7. The following is a list of just a few hotels used: Haddon Hall, Chalfonte, Cedarcraft, Keystone, New England, Rydal, and Warwick Hotels, a large six-story garage, a power plant, and a laundry to the 1272nd Service Command Service Unit.^[9]

Resorts International acquired Leeds & Lippincott Company, which owned Chalfont-Haddon Hall. Resorts purchased 67 percent of Leeds & Lippincott inc. in August 1976, and completed the acquisition the following month, paying a total of $2.489 million and by May 1, 1978, the 1000 rooms of the Chalfonte - Haddon Hall were reduced to 566 to allow for a casino, restaurants, shops, and to meet the city's required 325 square foot minimum for each guest room.^[10] The Chalfonte was demolished in 1980 to make room for a parking lot for the newly remodeled Resorts Atlantic City.

The first meeting of the Section on Surgery of the American Academy of Pediatrics was held in the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel, Atlantic City, N.J., on Nov. 21, 1948.^[11]

President Nixon spoke there on June 22, 1971 in front of the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel.^[12]

[edit] Library of congress repository photographs

Reference-Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress) Documentation compiled after 1933. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.nj0889

Links to historic photos of the buildings at the Library of Congress:

• The Chalfonte dolphin fountain[1]
• The Entrance at the board walk[2]
• A suite[3]
• The Famous Carolina room[4]
• A view from the water[5]
• The hotel loby[6]

[edit] References