VIDEO VAULT: Jefferson Hotel readies to reopen – Jan. 1986
RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – The Jefferson Hotel first opened its doors to guests in 1895. In September 1980, the hotel closed to undergo a multimillion dollar renovation.
The work was scheduled to be completed in the beginning of 1986, but the re-opening was delayed as workers put their finishing touches on the property.
This WTVR CBS 6 story, from January 1986, shows workers getting the hotel ready for the reopening.
Jefferson Hotel Public Relations Manager Jennifer Crisp told WTVR.com the Jefferson held a black tie reception on January 25, 1986 to celebrate the impending re-opening. She added the first overnight guests were registered on Saturday, March 15, 1986 when a portion of the hotel's new 286 rooms were completed.
Crisp also helped us fill-in the gaps during the years the Jefferson was closed. She said in December 1980, Director Louis Malle filmed My Dinner with Andre in The Jefferson Hotel.
"Two year later, Rock 'N' Roll Hotel, starring a then unknown Judd Nelson, was filmed in the hotel and was shown once in New York in 1983. The film was not seen again until it was shown at the Byrd Theater in Richmond on August 31, 2010," Crisp added.
All that hard work and renovations appeared to be worth time, effort and money.
In 2012, the Jefferson Hotel won the AAA Five Diamond award and the Forbes Five Star award. It was the Jefferson's 19th consecutive AAA Five Diamond award and 12th consecutive Forbes Five Star award.
