The
Providence Biltmore opened in 1922 and is one of the classic historic hotels of
New England. The 18-story hotel was designed by Warren and Wetmore who were
also the architects who designed the rebuilt New York’s Grand Central Station
in 1913. The hotel remains a fixture in downtown Providence; a place where
weddings and other special occasions are held.
During
the 1938 Hurricane the Biltmore witnessed a massive amount of water piled up in
Providence as the most significant natural disaster in New England in the
twentieth century. In the lobby, near the reception desk, there is a brass
plaque approximately seven feet high that denotes the high water mark in the
storm’s aftermath. Contemporary photographs show the tops of streetcars barely visible
in the water in front of the hotel and city hall.
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| Mezzanine |
A
display in the mezzanine has several artifacts from the hotel’s past. Like many
people, I was fascinated with the prices people paid for meals in the luxurious
dining rooms. For example, a September 1959 menu offered patrons “roasted prime
rib of beef au jus, creamed pearl onions, and rissole potatoes” (served with a
roll and butter) for $3.05. For lunch in the second floor Bacchante Room in
June 1962 one could order a boiled ham sandwich, with lettuce, pickle, and Saratoga
chips for 85¢. Perhaps most charming is a bill, saved as a souvenir, from a
newlywed couple on their honeymoon at the Biltmore. The couple spent two nights
and had two dinners at the hotel in March 1951 for a grand total of $27.16. Needless
to say, I spent far more than that during my stay.
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