History of the Biltmore Hotel -- 1922 to 2019

1920s

Architects: Warren and Wetmore

The New York firm designed Providence's Biltmore Hotel -- the firm was arguably the leading hotel architectural firm in the country.

Architects Whitney Warren (1864-1943) and Charles D. Wetmore (1866-1941) are perhaps best known today for their monumental Beaux-Arts Grand Central Terminal in New York City (1904-1912). Their practice, however, included a diverse catalog of building types and architectural styles across the United States and internationally. Partners for more than three decades, their success was built on the far-reaching commercial and social networks that grew from the rapid growth of American cities during the Gilded Age, with long-standing commissions from many of America's most prominent businessmen and families. Columbia University Library

Photograph of Warren from the Bain News Service, 1915

1920s

The Era of the 1920s

"The year was 1922. F. Scott Fitzgerald spun tales of beautiful flappers and dashing aristocrats. Crowds danced to the hot licks of cool jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong. Secret Speakeasies and backyard stills sprung up in the wake of Prohibition.  Women swooned at the images of Rudolph Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks on the silver screen.  The discovery of King Tutís tomb gave the public a glimpse of the awesome riches of ancient Egypt," History of the Biltmore.

1922

Grand Opening of the Biltmore

The opening of the Providence Biltmore Hotel epitomized glitter and glamour.  A front-page story in the June 6, 1922 edition of the Providence Journal reported on the banquet and ball that would officially open the Biltmore, predicting that it would be ìthe most elaborate social event ever to be held in the city.  Over 1,000 people attended the party, including local officials and several prominent New York City hoteliers.  For the occasion, the building was illuminated from top to bottom with more than 25,000 lights.     

1920s

Owners of the Biltmore

The original owners, New York entrepreneurs John Bowman and Louis Wallick, envisioned the Biltmore as a state-of-the-art luxury hotel. The building unique V-shaped design afforded all guests an outside room.     

1930s

Famous Bellboy -- Raymond Patriarca

A GoLocal investigation into the FBI files of legendary New England Crime boss Raymond Patriarca found that after he dropped out of school he took a job at the Biltmore.

Patriarca testified before the Feds and in part mentions that in the early 1930s he served as a bellboy at the Biltmore Hotel.

1940s

Benny Goodman, Ice Shows, and an Aquarium

The Biltmore’s Garden Room swung to the sounds of such famous orchestra leaders as Benny Goodman and Jimmy Dorsey.

The dance floor was once turned into an aquarium, complete with live fish, for a performance by Esther Williams.

For Sonia Henie’s ice show, the floor was frozen solid.

1940s and 1950s

Bacchante Girls

Biltmore’s famous Bacchante Girls were known throughout the country for their beauty and poise, these were the waitresses in the Biltmore’s hip Bacchante Room. The dining area was very intimate, with dimmed lights and mirrored walls. Seating sections were called “banquettes,” which were designed to hold between two and eight people. When one wanted to be served, one pushed a button to summon a Bacchante Girl. She would appear in her costume, which featured a diaphanous, see-through skirt. The bar area had a glass floor which was under lit with pink lighting, a feature which showcased the girls’ beautiful legs.

1950s

Big Family Wedding at the Biltmore

Raymond Patriarca’s brother Joseph was hosting a 400 person wedding at the Biltmore Hotel — then the Sheraton-Biltmore, June 19, 1961. The reception followed the ceremony which was held at 10:30 am at St Pius Church.

The reception was held at 12 noon in the foyer of the hotel.

Dinner was in the Ballroom at 1:00 pm -- “The dinner is a full course menu and no indication was given if dancing was to follow, or how long the affair would last.”

1938 and 1954

Hurricanes Hammered the Biltmore

Both the 1938 Great Hurricane and the 1954 Hurricane Carol flooded the Biltmore's grand lobby.

"The 1954 hurricane flooded the building, with water pouring down into the elevator shafts.  Couches floated through the Falstaff Room, drifted out into the lobby and just stopped short of the revolving doors.  A plaque, high up on the lobby columns, commemorates the high water mark," according to the history of the Biltmore.    

PHOTO: GoProvidence

1970s

Darkest Era -- Biltmore Closed 1974 to 1979

For nearly five full years during one of Providence's bleakest eras, the Biltmore was closed.

There were calls to demolish the building. But, then-Mayor Buddy Cianci helped with efforts to designate the hotel a landmark.

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 purchased the hotel and leveraged federal tax credits to rehabilitate the building, reopening it in 1979 as the Biltmore Plaza Hotel.

1990s

Mayor Buddy Cianci's Home

The infamous Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci lived in a suite at the Biltmore for years in the 1990s and 2000s while he was Mayor and during his corruption trial.

He moved to the Biltmore after he sold his Benefit Street carriage house.

2000s

Movies and TV at the Biltmore

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.

The crew of many of the movies shot in Rhode Island stay at the Biltmore.

2012

Sold and Sold Again

In 2012, the Biltmore was sold again.

As GoLocal reported in 2012:

The $16 million purchase of the Providence Biltmore Hotel by Finard Properties is complete.

The Biltmore will now undergo a top to bottom renovation that could begin in June. The new owners have said the project will create over 50 jobs and said the company plans to fully comply with any requirements to hire local and minority workers.

"We're just excited," Todd Finard, a partner with the company, said in March. "The property has had its up and downs, but I want businesses in Providence to think of the Biltmore as their hotel."

At the time, Finard called the $16 million purchase a "phenomenal investment" but said he sees owning the Biltmore as a hotel he would like to hold on to for generations to come.

"I'm looking at this for my kids and grandkids," he said.

2017

Biltmore sold to AJ Capital Partners

In October 2017, the Biltmore was sold to AJ Capital Partners, a Chicago-based hotel and real estate firm, for $43.6 million.

They announced they would rename the Biltmore to Graduate Providence.

2019

Changing the Name -- Graduate Replaces Biltmore

As GoLocal reported on Tuesday, the historic Biltmore Hotel name is being changed by the Chicago-based hotel group that owns the property to the Graduate Providence.

While new Graduate Hotel signage went up Tuesday, the landmark red light "Biltmore" on the roof will remain for the foreseeable future.

The Biltmore is owned by AJ Capital Partners, which asserts they have "over $2.3 billion gross acquisition value of real estate purchased since inception and more than $1.7 billion gross fair market value currently under asset management.”

About Graduate Providence

"What Graduate is doing here is enhancing the spirit of the Biltmore -- to enhance the historical elements, everything that makes the Biltmore what it is," Scott Williams, General Manager of the property, told GoLocal.

"The Biltmore sign on top of the hotel stays up," says Williams. "The building is registered as a historic landmark. Our owner, even if he could take it down, I don't think he would.  He loves neon and taking old things and bringing them back to life. The Graduate sign out front is real neon -- it's not LED," said Williams. READ MORE HERE.

2019

Biltmore Sign to Remain

The new ownership group says that the iconic red letter neon roof sign will remain.