Providence Biltmore

Graduate Providence
Graduate Providence, seen in 2017
Map
General information
TypeHotel
Location11 Dorrance Street,
Providence, Rhode Island 02903, United States
CompletedJune 6, 1922
Height
Roof220 ft (67 m)
Technical details
Floor count18
Design and construction
Architect(s)Warren & Wetmore
Other information
Number of rooms294[1]
Providence-Biltmore Hotel
Providence Biltmore is located in Rhode Island
Providence Biltmore
Providence Biltmore is located in the United States
Providence Biltmore
LocationProvidence, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°49′27″N 71°24′49″W / 41.82417°N 71.41361°W / 41.82417; -71.41361
Built1922
ArchitectWarren & Wetmore
Architectural styleFederal, Beaux Arts
Part ofDowntown Providence Historic District (ID84001967)
NRHP reference No.77000005[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 27, 1977
Designated CPFebruary 10, 1984

The Graduate Providence is an upscale hotel that opened in 1922 as the Providence Biltmore Hotel, part of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels chain. It is located on the southern corner of Kennedy Plaza at 11 Dorrance Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.[3]

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

The Providence Biltmore was conceived by the Providence Chamber of Commerce and funded through a public campaign in which 1,800 citizens contributed to pay for the construction costs. The management contract for the hotel was awarded to the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels chain, founded by John McEntee Bowman and Louis Wallick. The hotel was built in the neo-Federal Beaux-arts style and designed by the architectural firm of Warren and Wetmore, who also designed Grand Central Terminal. The hotel opened to much fanfare on June 6, 1922,[4] and was the second-tallest building in the city after the Rhode Island State House, until the Industrial Trust Tower was finished six years later.[5] 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 book Meet Me At The Biltmore.

The Biltmore welcomed both black and white guests during a time when racial discrimination in public accommodations was common.[6] Starting in 1941, the hotel paid for a listing in The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide for Black travelers.[6]

Middle years and decline[edit]

The Biltmore was bought by Sheraton Hotels in 1947 and renamed the Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel. Providence was flooded by Hurricane Carol in 1954, leaving much of the hotel's lobby underwater; a plaque commemorates the high water mark today, eight feet up on the lobby columns.[7] Sheraton sold the hotel, along with seventeen other aging properties, to Gotham Hotels in 1968 and it became the Biltmore Hotel & Motor Inn. In 1975, amidst a flurry of lawsuits over 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.[8]

Restoration[edit]

With the hotel facing demolition; Mayor Buddy Cianci helped with efforts to designate the hotel a landmark[9] and assembled a group of local businessmen, including Bruce Sundlun of the Outlet Company, Michael Metcalf of The Providence Journal, 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 restore the hotel, reopening it in 1979 as the Biltmore Plaza Hotel.[10] The Biltmore's external glass elevator was added during this renovation, and served all 18 floors of the hotel (though it no longer runs). In 1983, the owners retained Dunfey Hotels to manage the hotel, which was renamed Biltmore Plaza, A Dunfey Hotel.[11] Soon after, Dunfey was reorganized as Omni Hotels, and the hotel was renamed the Omni Biltmore Hotel. By the 1990s, the Omni Biltmore was fully owned by The Providence Journal.[12] They sold the hotel to the Grand Heritage Hotels chain in July 1995, for $7 million,[13] 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.[14] Finard Coventry invested a further $10 million in renovations,[15] and the hotel joined Curio, A Collection by Hilton, on December 16, 2014.[16]

Graduate Providence[edit]

A small sign above the awning announces the new name.

In October 2017, the Biltmore was sold to AJ Capital Partners, a Chicago-based hotel and real estate firm, for $43.6 million.[17] The hotel was renovated and renamed Graduate Providence on April 2, 2019,[18] as part of AJ Capital's boutique chain of "Graduate" hotels, in college towns across the United States.[1] The new owners have retained the hotel's iconic neon "Biltmore" sign.[17]

Description[edit]

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 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2). 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 (today known as the Omni Providence Hotel) was completed in 1993. The hotel was home to the largest Starbucks in New England from 2003-2019.[19]

In popular culture[edit]

Cinema backdrop[edit]

The Providence Biltmore features prominently in the 2004 Jeff Nathanson film The Last Shot, and the 2007 Anne Fletcher film 27 Dresses.

Showtime episodes of Brotherhood from 2004 to 2007 were also shot here.

Literature[edit]

In 2022, author Amanda Quay Blount published Meet Me At The Biltmore,[20] a book chronicling the hotel's storied past alongside Providence’s highs and lows throughout the 20th century.[21]

The Hotel is the scene of a Brown University collegiate reunion in The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. It is also mentioned a number of times in Jeffrey Eugenides' book The Marriage Plot, which takes place at Brown in 1982.

Television[edit]

The Providence Hotel is shown as a scene is NOS4A2, The Hourglass (S2, E6), series on AMC. Air Date: 7/26/2020

See also[edit]

Gallery[edit]

  • Biltmore exterior in 2009
    Biltmore exterior in 2009
  • Providence Biltmore Hotel corner view in 2011
    Providence Biltmore Hotel corner view in 2011
  • Biltmore lobby in 2012
    Biltmore lobby in 2012
  • City Hall, Biltmore, and Westin
    City Hall, Biltmore, and Westin
  • Panoramic view from top floor
    Panoramic view from top floor

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b McGowan, Dan (October 24, 2017). "Providence Biltmore sold, to be converted to Graduate Hotel". WPRI News. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  3. ^ "Providence Biltmore Hotel, a Historic Hotels of America member". Historic Hotels of America. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "Providence Architecture | Locations | Biltmore Hotel". www.brown.edu.
  5. ^ Woodward, Wm McKenzie. Guide to Providence Architecture. 1st ed. United States: 2003. ISBN 0-9742847-0-X. p. 99.
  6. ^ a b "The Green Book Guides African-Americans to Safety in New England (and Elsewhere)". New England Historical Society. December 30, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022. The hotel had an open occupancy policy, accepting both black and white guests. But it took a step further by actually paying for a listing in the Green Book. Beginning in 1941, it simply reads, "Biltmore" under the heading "Providence."
  7. ^ "Providence Biltmore Hotel History – The Biltmore". Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  8. ^ Jonic, Flo. "The Providence Biltmore: 90 years of rich history". RINPR. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  9. ^ Kostrzewa, John (December 25, 2016). "John Kostrzewa: A winter night's tour of the Providence skyline". The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  10. ^ Paolino, Joseph R. Jr. "Joseph R. Paolino Jr.: Leaders should save Superman building". The Providence Journal.
  11. ^ "Omni Hotels History | Lane Memorial Library". www.hampton.lib.nh.us.
  12. ^ "Sundlun signs bill to finance convention center". UPI.
  13. ^ "Registration Statement". sec.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  14. ^ Management, Finard Coventry Hotel. "Historic Providence Biltmore Hotel Acquired By Finard Coventry Hotel Management". www.prnewswire.com (Press release).
  15. ^ Fodor's Editors (June 13, 2012). "Historic Providence Hotel Sold, Will Get $10 Million Renovation". Fodors Travel Guide. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022.
  16. ^ Net, Hospitality. "The Providence Biltmore Joins Curio – A Collection by Hilton". Hospitality Net.
  17. ^ a b Dunn, Christine (October 26, 2017). "New owners say they'll save Biltmore sign". The Providence Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  18. ^ Nagle, Kate (April 2, 2019). "NEW: Biltmore Hotel Name Changed to Graduate Providence". GoLocal Providence.
  19. ^ "Starbucks location at Biltmore hotel to close in January". providencejournal.com.
  20. ^ Blount, Amanda Quay (2022). Meet Me at the Biltmore: 100 Years at Providence's Most Storied Hotel. Stillwater River. ISBN 978-1958217221.
  21. ^ McBurney, Christian (December 3, 2022). "Book Review: Meet Me at the Biltmore, 100 Years at Providence's Most Storied Hotel - Online Review of Rhode Island History". The Online Review of Rhode Island History.

External links[edit]

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