Providence Biltmore - Providence

The Providence Biltmore is located on Dorrance Street in Providence, Rhode Island.  The Beaux-Arts Style hotel was constructed by the architectural firm of Warren and Wetmore and opened on June 6, 1922.  Designed in a V shape the hotel boasted 600 rooms, all with a view.  The hotel soon became a focal point for the city.  Over the years many famous acts appeared at the Biltmore's Garden Room, including Beny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, Esther Williams and Sonja Henie.  The hotel was also famous for its Bacchante Girls, waitresses in the Bacchante Room, who were known for their elegence and grace, while roaming across the underlit glass floor which exposed their shapely legs.  The Biltmore also suffered through two major storms, in 1938 and 1954, in which the lobby flooded several feet.  A plaque indicates the high water mark.  The hotel fell on hard times in the 1970's and closed its doors in 1974.  Faced with demolition, the hotel was saved and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.  After a lengthy restoration the Biltmore opened again in 1979.  It is also a member of the Historic Hotels of America. 

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