Columbus Station Apartments is in the heart of Virginia Beach, but did you know that some areas of the city used to be part of Princess Anne County and Norfolk County? In 1963 the independent city of Virginia Beach merged with Princess Anne County and officially became incorporated. There’s lots of local history to be found in our coastal area. Learn a little about the area and check out some of these local landmarks!
Columbus Station is located in what is now called Town Center, but prior to that development it was mostly open land. In 2000, Armada Hoffler built Town Center, a unique destination that included shopping, dining, entertainment, and residential apartments. It’s located adjacent to the railroad tracks that ran parallel to Virginia Beach Boulevard, from Norfolk to Virginia Beach.
Pembroke Square
4554 Virginia Beach Boulevard
For decades, the area in central Virginia Beach was known as Pembroke. Pembroke Mall was built in 1966 and was the first enclosed mall in the Hampton Roads area. It originally featured 21 stores, including Sears and Miller & Rhodes. In the 1980s it expanded with a third anchor store, and in 2022 it was redeveloped with the intention of adding residential units and a hotel. The area was re-named Pembroke Square. (In the photo that accompanies this blog post, Pembroke Mall is depicted in the center, and the land that eventually became Columbus Station Apartments is in the upper left.)
Francis Land House
3131 Virginia Beach Boulevard
Just down the road from Pembroke Square is the Francis Land House (also known as Rose Hall.) This historic home is believed to date back to 1805-1810, but the Land family history of the site dates back to the 1630s. The original property was a plantation that spanned nearly 700 acres. Today the house is a museum, though it’s currently closed during renovations.
Historic Cavalier Hotel & Beach Club
4200 Atlantic Avenue
This local landmark was built in 1927 and renovated in 2018. The stately 7-story brick building at the Virginia Beach oceanfront has hosted celebrities including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, Frank Sinatra, and Muhammad Ali. Several former presidents have stayed there, including Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson.
Locals enjoy visiting the Hunt Room and on-site distillery or indulging in a decadent meal at Becca, the hotel restaurant. The hotel often hosts outdoor movie screenings on the lawn in the warmer months.
Norwegian Lady
2500 Atlantic Ave
In 1891, a Norwegian ship sank off the coast of Virginia, and its wooden masthead washed ashore in Virginia Beach. This wooden figurehead stood at the Virginia Beach oceanfront as a memorial for sixty years, until 1962, when the city of Moss, Norway commissioned a 9-foot replica to be cast in bronze and gifted to Virginia Beach. An identical statue was erected in Moss, uniting the two sister cities.
When you live at the Apartments at Columbus Station, you’re in the center of Viginia Beach. Explore Virginia Beach’s past and become part of its future! Schedule a visit with one of our agents today to see your next apartment.