Author’s talk: Meet Me at the Biltmore

Talk: 2:00 – 4:00 pm Sunday, January 21

Blackstone Valley Historical Society, 1873 Old Louisquisset Pike, Lincoln, RI

Author Amanda Quay Blount will give a talk about her extensively researched book Meet Me at the Biltmore.

On June 6, 1922, thousands of people  gathered in downtown Providence to witness the grand  opening of the most modern hotel of its day: the awe inspiring Providence Biltmore Hotel. Since that fateful  day, the Biltmore has captured the imaginations of local  patrons and distant travelers alike, providing luxury  accommodation to such celebrities as Babe Ruth, John F.  Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, Louis Armstrong, the Von  Trapp Family, Maya Angelou, the Rolling Stones, and  Providence’s infamous mayor, Buddy Cianci. The story of  the Biltmore is a sensational drama of scandal, secrets  and high society. With characters ranging from crooked  politicians and mobsters to bootleggers and Hollywood  stars, the Biltmore has provided the backdrop for some  of the highest highs and lowest lows of Providence in the  last century.  

Now, for the first time in its hundred-year history, the storied past of the Providence Biltmore Hotel comes to life in this meticulously researched tale of the rise, fall, and renaissance of Rhode Island’s capital city, as seen through the eyes of one of its most iconic landmarks.

Amanda Quay Blount