Biltmore Hotel
Encyclopedia
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a chain created by hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman
.
The name evokes the Vanderbilt family
's Biltmore Estate
, whose buildings and gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina
, United States
. The name has since been adopted by other unrelated hotels. For a time, the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corporation was a publicly traded company.
.
John McEntee Bowman
John McEntee Bowman was an Canadian-born businessman and an American hotelier and horseman who was the founding president of Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corp....
.
The name evokes the Vanderbilt family
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
's Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore House is a Châteauesque-styled mansion near Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately-owned home in the United States, at and featuring 250 rooms...
, whose buildings and gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The name has since been adopted by other unrelated hotels. For a time, the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corporation was a publicly traded company.
Arizona
- The Arizona Biltmore HotelArizona Biltmore HotelThe Arizona Biltmore Hotel is a resort located in Phoenix near 24th Street and Camelback Road. It recently joined the Hilton Hotels' luxury collection The Waldorf-Astoria Collection and was also featured on the Travel Channel show Great Hotels....
was opened on February 23, 1929 by Warren McArthur Jr. and his brother Charles McArthur along with John BowmanJohn McEntee BowmanJohn McEntee Bowman was an Canadian-born businessman and an American hotelier and horseman who was the founding president of Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corp....
. The Arizona Biltmore was co-designed by their brother the Chicago architect Albert Chase McArthurAlbert Chase McArthurAlbert Chase McArthur was a Prairie School architect, and the designer of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.-Early years:...
, who asked Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
to collaborate.
California
- The Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel, now renamed the Millennium Biltmore HotelMillennium Biltmore HotelThe Millennium Biltmore Hotel, originally named the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel of the Biltmore Hotels group, is a luxury hotel located on Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Upon its grand opening in 1923, the Los Angeles Biltmore was the largest hotel west of Chicago, Illinois in...
, is located on Pershing SquarePershing Square (Los Angeles)Pershing Square is a public park in downtown Los Angeles, California. The park is exactly one square block in size, bounded by 5th Street to the north, 6th Street to the south, Hill Street to the east, and Olive Street to the west...
in Downtown Los AngelesDowntown Los AngelesDowntown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
. When it opened in 1923 it was the largest hotel west of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It was designed by the architectural firmArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
of Schultze & Weaver. The Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel was the "Nerve center" of the 1960 Democratic National ConventionDemocratic National ConventionThe Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
; the headquarters of the Democratic National CommitteeDemocratic National CommitteeThe Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
, the TV networks, and the candidates including John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, and Adlai Stevenson. Room 8315 was used by the John Kennedy campaign. - The Santa Barbara BiltmoreSanta Barbara BiltmoreThe Santa Barbara Biltmore opened in 1927 as part of the legendary Biltmore Hotels chain. Now known as the Four Seasons Resort—The Biltmore Santa Barbara or just the Biltmore, it is a luxury hotel located in Montecito, California...
, located in Montecito, CaliforniaMontecito, CaliforniaMontecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
, on the Pacific CoastWest Coast of the United StatesWest Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
just south of Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. A masterful synthesis of the Spanish Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Moorish Revival styles of architecture and landscape architecture. 'the Biltmore' opened in 1927. (Four Seasons HotelsFour Seasons HotelsFour Seasons Hotels, Inc. is a Canadian-based international ultra-luxury, five-star hotel management company. Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey rank the hotel chain's 84 properties among the top luxury hotels worldwide...
bought the Santa Barbara Biltmore in 1987. Ty WarnerTy WarnerH. Ty Warner is an American toy manufacturer and businessman. He is chairman, CEO, sole owner and founder of Ty Inc., which manufactures and distributes Beanie Babies, Beanie Baby 2.0s, Ty Girlz, Pluffies , LI'L Ones, Beanie Boos and other plush items...
acquired ownership of the hotel through his Ty Warner Hotels & Resorts in 2000, with a historically sensitive major restoration and services updating following.
Delaware
- Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, DelawareWilmington, DelawareWilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
was managed by the Bowman-Biltmore Hotel company and named the DuPont-Biltmore Hotel for a time.
Florida
- The 'Belleair Biltmore' in Belleair, FloridaBelleair, FloridaBelleair is a town in Pinellas County, Florida, United States.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of . of it is land and of it is water.-Form of Government:...
, first opened in 1897 as the Belleair Hotel, and was acquired by the Biltmore chain in 1920.
- The Coral Gables Biltmore HotelCoral Gables Biltmore HotelThe Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel is a luxury hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. It was designed by Schultze and Weaver and was built in 1926 by John McEntee Bowman and George Merrick as part of the Biltmore hotel chain....
opened in 1926, by Bowman and George Merrick, in Coral Gables, FloridaCoral Gables, FloridaCoral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
is a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. It served as a hospital during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and as a VA Hospital and campus of the University of MiamiUniversity of MiamiThe University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
medical school until 1968. The African American population was not allowed admittance until the civil rights movement caused the hotel to change its practices in the 1960s. It became a hotel again in 1987 managed by Seaway Hotels Corporation.
Georgia
- The Atlanta Biltmore Hotel, designed by Schultze & Weaver, opened in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1924 at a cost of $6 million, it was organized by Coca-ColaCoca-ColaCoca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
heir William Candler, Holland Ball Judkins, and Bowman. It is today an office building.
New York
- The New York Biltmore HotelNew York Biltmore HotelThe New York Biltmore Hotel was a luxury hotel in New York City. It was one of three palatial hotels built as part of the Terminal City development...
, designed by Warren & Wetmore, was part of Terminal City, a massive complex of hotels and office buildings connected to Grand Central TerminalGrand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
. For 23 years the New York Biltmore was the home to the Grand Central Art GalleriesGrand Central Art GalleriesThe Grand Central Art Galleries were the exhibition and administrative space of the nonprofit Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association, an artists' cooperative established in 1922 by Walter Leighton Clark together with John Singer Sargent, Edmund Greacen, and others...
, founded in 1922 by John Singer SargentJohn Singer SargentJohn Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
, Edmund GreacenEdmund GreacenEdmund Greacen was an American Impressionist painter.He was born in New York City, New York. He graduated from New York University. After traveling around the world he entered the Art Students League of New York. He also took classes at the New York School of Art, where he studied with William...
, Walter Leighton ClarkWalter Leighton ClarkWalter Leighton Clark was an American businessman, inventor, and artist based in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and New York City. Among other achievements, in 1923 he founded with John Singer Sargent the Grand Central Art Galleries, located within New York City's Grand Central Terminal, to offer...
, and others. In 1942, the hotel was the location of the Biltmore ConferenceBiltmore ConferenceThe Biltmore Conference, also known by its resolution as the Biltmore Program, was a fundamental departure from traditional Zionist policy with its demand "that Palestine be established as a Jewish Commonwealth." The meeting was held in New York City at the prestigious Biltmore Hotel from May 6...
which was a meeting of mostly ZionistZionismZionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
groups that produced the Biltmore Program, a series of demands regarding PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. The hotel was closed in August 1981 by Paul Milstein, gutted to its steel skeleton and converted to an office building. retaining only the Biltmore's famous Palm Court clock. - The Commodore Hotel, also by Warren & Wetmore, was on the opposite side of Grand Central. It was bought by Donald Trump, similarly gutted to its steel skeleton in the 1970s, and converted to the Grand Hyatt New York, retaining the original floorplan, but nothing else.
- The Belmont Hotel, across 42nd St from Grand Central, was the tallest in the world when built in 1908. It was demolished in 1939.
- The Westchester Biltmore Country ClubWestchester Country ClubThe Westchester Country Club was founded by John McEntee Bowman, who hired Walter Travis to design two golf courses in the Town of Harrison, New York as a luxury resort hotel. The West Course was designed for championship play and has hosted PGA tournaments since 1963...
was founded by Bowman, who hired Walter TravisWalter TravisWalter J. Travis was the most successful amateur golfer in the U.S. during the early 1900s, a noted golf journalist and publisher, an innovator in all aspects of golf, a teacher, and a respected golf course architect...
to design two golf courseGolf courseA golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s in Westchester County, New YorkWestchester County, New YorkWestchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. - The Roosevelt Hotel, also connected to Grand Central Terminal opened as a United Hotel and merged with the Bowman-Biltmore Group in 1929. This hotel was later purchased by Conrad Hilton in 1948, Realty Hotel ( New York Central Railroad) operated it until 1980 and today is a operated by Interstate Hotels and owned by Pakistan Airlines.
Ohio
The Dayton Biltmore Hotel is currently a retirement home; it is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Cuba
- The Sevilla-Biltmore Hotel in HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
was bought by Bowman and Charles Francis Flynn in 1919. It was featured in Graham GreeneGraham GreeneHenry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
's Our Man in HavanaOur Man in HavanaOur Man In Havana is a novel by British author Graham Greene, where he makes fun of intelligence services, especially the British MI6, and their willingness to believe reports from their local informants....
where Jim Wormold joined the British secret service.
External links
- Movies filmed at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel from MoviePlaces.tv