Providence ยท Kennedy Plaza
Graduate Providence
Warren & Wetmore's Providence Biltmore, opened on Kennedy Plaza in 1922; its 1979 rehabilitation was an early step in downtown's revival.
- Built
- 1922Built 1920-22 (Downtown Providence HD nomination); opened June 6, 1922 as the Providence Biltmore.
- Style
- Neo-Federal
- Architect
- Warren & Wetmore
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Area
- Kennedy Plaza
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
The Providence Chamber of Commerce raised the money for the hotel through a public campaign, and Warren & Wetmore, architects of Grand Central Terminal, designed it. It opened on June 6, 1922, as part of the Bowman-Biltmore chain and was long the city’s leading hotel. It closed in 1975, and its 1979 rehabilitation was an early step in the revival of downtown Providence. AJ Capital converted it to a Graduate hotel, and the brand is now franchised by Hilton.
The ghost story
The best-known Biltmore story holds that a stockbroker ruined by the crash of Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, leapt from his room, and guests report glimpsing a falling figure outside their windows with no body on the street below.
Source: motifri.com
Good to know
- Address: 11 Dorrance Street, Providence, RI 02903
Things to do
Tours in Providence
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Sources (4)
- https://catalog.archives.gov/medialz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_RI/84001967.pdf
- https://catalog.archives.gov/medialz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_RI/77000005.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence_Biltmore
- https://www.golocalprov.com/business/hilton-buying-graduate-hotel-chain-brand-which-includes-the-old-biltmore
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.