Providence Biltmore
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The Graduate Providence is an upscale hotel that opened in 1922 as the Providence Biltmore Hotel, part of the
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a hotel chain created by the hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman. The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and the gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attracti ...
chain. It is located on the southern corner of Kennedy Plaza at 11 Dorrance Street in downtown
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1977 and is a member of
Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels that have maintained their authenticity, sense of pla ...
, the official program of the
National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...
.


History


Early history

The Providence Biltmore was conceptualized by the civic spirit of the Providence Chamber of Commerce and funded through a public fundraising campaign in which 1,800 city denizens contributed to pay for the construction costs. The management of the hotel was awarded to the
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a hotel chain created by the hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman. The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and the gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attracti ...
chain, founded by
John McEntee Bowman John McEntee Bowman (1875 – October 28, 1931) was a Canadian-born businessman, American hotelier and horseman, and the founding president of Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corp.- - Biography Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bowman began his American work ...
and Louis Wallick. It was built in the neo-Federal Beaux-arts style and designed by the architectural firm of
Warren and Wetmore Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City which was a partnership between Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles Delevan Wetmore (June 10, 1866 – May 8, 1941), that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and w ...
, who also designed
Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
. The hotel opened to much fanfare on June 6, 1922, and was the second-tallest building in the city after the
Rhode Island State House The Rhode Island State House, the capitol of the state of Rhode Island, is located at 900 Smith Street just below the crest of Smith Hill, on the border of downtown in Providence. It is a neoclassical building designed by McKim, Mead & White wh ...
, until the Industrial Trust Tower was finished six years later. Today, the Biltmore is the 9th-tallest building in the city. The Biltmore was the city’s only luxury hotel and welcomed many famous (and infamous) guests over the course of the 20th century. Mobsters, bootleggers, celebrities and politicians frequented the hotel and its many restaurants and bars. The hotel was the backdrop for many Rhode Island political and social scandals over the years, many of which are documented in the books”Meet Me At The Biltmore” (published in 2022 by Stillwater River Press). The Biltmore welcomed both black and white guests during a time when racial discrimination in public accommodations was common. Starting in 1941, the hotel paid for a listing in
The Negro Motorist Green Book ''The Negro Motorist Green Book'' (also ''The Negro Motorist Green-Book'', ''The Negro Travelers' Green Book'', or simply the ''Green Book'') was an annual guidebook for African American roadtrippers. It was originated and published by Afri ...
, a travel guide for Black travelers. The Biltmore was bought by
Sheraton Hotels Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an international semi-luxury hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, Ce ...
in 1947 and renamed the Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel. Providence was flooded by
Hurricane Carol Hurricane Carol was among the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island in the United States. It developed from a tropical wave near the Bahamas on August 25, 1954, and slowly strengthened as it ...
in 1954, and much of the lobby of the Sheraton-Biltmore was underwater; a plaque commemorates the high water mark today, eight feet up on lobby columns. Sheraton sold the hotel, along with seventeen other aging properties, to Gotham Hotels in 1968 and it became the Biltmore Hotel & Motor Inn.


Restoration

In 1975, amidst a flurry of lawsuits pertaining to tens of thousands of dollars of unpaid utility bills and back taxes, Gotham Hotels was forced to close the Biltmore. It remained vacant for four years. At one point, with the hotel facing demolition; Mayor
Buddy Cianci Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. (, ; , ; April 30, 1941 – January 28, 2016) was an American politician, attorney, radio talk show host, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 197 ...
helped with efforts to designate the hotel a
landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
and assembled a group of local businessmen, including Bruce Sundlun of the Outlet Company, Michael Metcalf of
The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...
, G. William Miller of Textron, and Jim Winoker and Dominic Zinni of B.B. Greenberg Company, who purchased the hotel and implemented Federal tax credits to rehabilitate the building, reopening it in 1979 as the Biltmore Plaza Hotel. The Biltmore's external glass
elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They ...
was added during this rehabilitation, and served all 18 floors of the hotel (though it no longer runs). In 1983, the owners retained Dunfey Hotels to manage the property, and it was renamed Biltmore Plaza, A Dunfey Hotel. Soon after, Dunfey's owner,
Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish , meaning "air fleet" compare Welsh 'llynges awyr') is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiar ...
, purchased the
Omni Hotels Omni Hotels & Resorts is an American privately held, international luxury hotel company based in Dallas, Texas. The company was founded in 1958 as Dunfey Hotels, and operates 50 properties in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, totaling over 2 ...
chain, and the hotel was renamed the Omni Biltmore Hotel. By the 1990s, the Omni Biltmore was fully owned by
The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...
. They sold the hotel to the Grand Heritage Hotels chain in July 1995 for $7 million, and it was renamed the Providence Biltmore. The hotel was sold out of receivership on May 31, 2012 to Finard Coventry Hotel Management, for $16 million. Finard Coventry invested a further $10 million in renovations, and the hotel joined Curio - A Collection by Hilton, on December 16, 2014.


Graduate Providence

In October 2017, the Biltmore was sold to AJ Capital Partners, a Chicago-based hotel and real estate firm, for $43.6 million. The hotel was renovated and renamed Graduate Providence on April 2, 2019, as part of AJ Capital's boutique chain of "Graduate" hotels, in college towns across the United States. The new owners have retained the hotel's iconic neon "Biltmore" sign.


Description

The hotel was originally built with 600 rooms; later, walls were knocked down and suites were created. It now offers 292 guest rooms. The hotel contains banquet space of over . The rooftop level Grand Ballroom offers expansive views of the city and Kennedy Plaza and can hold up to 750 guests; its event space is designed for functions such as wedding receptions, banquet service, and conferences. It was the tallest and largest hotel in Providence for 71 years, until
The Westin Providence The Omni Providence Hotel (formerly The Westin Providence) is a Neo-Traditionalist skyscraper in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. At , it became the fourth-tallest building in the city and the state on 15 February 2007, when the nearby slightl ...
(today known as the Omni Providence Hotel) was completed in 1993. The hotel was home to the largest
Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 cou ...
in
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
from 2003-2019.


In popular culture


Cinema backdrop

The Providence Biltmore features prominently in the 2004
Jeff Nathanson Jeffrey D. Nathanson (born October 12, 1965) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Early life and education Nathanson was born on October 12, 1965, in Los Angeles County, California. He attended the University of California, San ...
film '' The Last Shot'', and the 2007
Anne Fletcher Anne Fletcher (born May 1, 1966) is an American choreographer, film director, dancer and actress. She directed the films '' Step Up'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008) and '' The Proposal'' (2009). Early life Born Anne Marie Fletcher in Detroit, Mich ...
film ''
27 Dresses ''27 Dresses'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, and starring Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released in Australia on January 10, 2008, and in the United States on ...
''. Showtime episodes of '' Brotherhood'' from 2004 to 2007 were also shot here.


Literature

In 2022, author Amanda Quay Blount published a book about the hotel’s first 100 years entitled “Meet Me At The Biltmore”, through Stillwater River Press. The book chronicles the hotel’s storied past alongside Providence’s highs and lows throughout the 20th century. The Hotel is the scene of a
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
collegiate reunion in '' The Devil Wears Prada'' by Lauren Weisberger.


Television

The Providence Hotel is shown as a scene is
NOS4A2 ''NOS4A2'' (pronounced ''Nosferatu'') is the third novel by American author Joe Hill, son of authors Stephen and Tabitha King. The book was published on April 30, 2013 through William Morrow and Company, and has since been adapted to a televis ...
, The Hourglass (S2, E6), series on AMC. Air Date: 7/26/2020


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Is ...


Gallery

File:Providence, Rhode Island, Biltmore Hotel.jpg, Biltmore exterior in 2009 File:Providence Biltmore Hotel corner view 2011.jpg, Providence Biltmore Hotel corner view in 2011 File:Biltmore Hotel interior Providence RI.jpg, Biltmore lobby in 2012 File:City Hall, Biltmore and Westin(Residences), Providence.jpg, City Hall, Biltmore, and Westin File:Panoramic view from 18th floor of the Biltmore Hotel.JPG, Panoramic view from top floor


References


External links


Graduate Providence official website
* * ”Meet Me At The Biltmore: 100 Years at Providences Most Storied Hotel”
Www.Biltmorebook.com
{{Providence skyscrapers Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Skyscrapers in Providence, Rhode Island Hotel buildings completed in 1922 Skyscraper hotels in Rhode Island Hotels established in 1922 Warren and Wetmore buildings Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island Historic district contributing properties in Rhode Island Sheraton hotels 1922 establishments in Rhode Island