Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel

As the creator of Coral Gables, land developer George E. Merrick also founded the University of Miami, and developed the suburbs with strict building codes to ensure the beautiful surroundings. Coral Gables is a largely residential, affluent area graced with broad, planted boulevards, golf courses, and country clubs. Stately Mediterranean homes, Banyan trees, and tropical foliage line its quiet streets. The thriving business district is also home to over 150 multinational companies and multinational headquarters.

In 1925, young Merrick joined forces with Biltmore hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman at the height of the Florida land boom to build "a great hotel...which would not only serve as a hostelry to the crowds which were thronging to Coral Gables but also would serve as a center of sports and fashion." In January 1926, ten months and $10 million dollars later, The Biltmore debuted with a magnificent inaugural that brought people down from northern cities on trains marked "Miami Biltmore Specials." The Giralda Tower was lit for the first time and the champagne corks popped as the guests fox-trotted to the sounds of jazz, all in celebration of the birth of The Biltmore.

In its heyday, The Biltmore played host to royalty, both Europe's and Hollywood's. The hotel counted the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Al Capone and assorted Roosevelts and Vanderbilts as frequent guests. Fashion shows, gala balls, aquatic shows by the grand pool and weddings were de rigueur as were world class golf tournaments. A product of the Jazz Age, big bands entertained wealthy, well-traveled visitors to this American Riviera resort. .

The Biltmore made it through the nation's economic lulls in the late 1920's and early 1930's by hosting aquatic galas that kept the hotel in the spotlight and drew the crowds. As many as three thousand would come out on a Sunday afternoon to watch the synchronized swimmers, bathing beauties, alligator wrestling and the young Jackie Ott, the boy wonder who would dive from an eighty-five foot platform. Johnny Weissmuller, prior to his tree-swinging days in Hollywood, broke the world record at the Biltmore pool and was a swimming instructor. Families would attend the shows and many would dress up and go tea dancing afterwards on the hotel's grand terrace to the sounds of swinging orchestras.

But with the onset of World War II, the War Department converted The Biltmore to a hospital. It served the wounded as the Army Air Forces Regional Hospital. Many of the windows were sealed with concrete, and the marble floors covered with Government Issue linoleum. Also the early site of The University of Miami's School of Medicine, The Biltmore remained a VA hospital until 1968.

In 1973, through the Historic Monuments Act and Legacy of Parks program, the City of Coral Gables was granted ownership control of The Biltmore. Undecided as to the structure's future, The Biltmore remained unoccupied for almost 10 years. Then in 1983, the City oversaw its full restoration to be opened as a grand hotel. Almost four years and $55 million later, The Biltmore opened on December 31, 1987 as a first class hotel and resort. Over 600 guests turned out to honor the historic Biltmore at a black tie affair.

There is the tale of the woman dressed in a white who jumped out of the tower window to save her child. She did not survive her fall but nevertheless, the Biltmore's front desk receives calls from hotel guests about a woman in white who was in their room.

There are accounts of lights turning on without the flick of a switch and doors mysteriously being opened and closed while guests quietly enjoy a South Florida evening.

Linda Spitzer tells these stories and more every Thursday night at 7 p.m. for free, in the upstairs lobby of the Biltmore Hotel. Not only does she recount stories of phantoms that roam the buildings old hallways and rooms, she also tells a fascinating fact-filled history of the South Florida landmark.

"I don't know if the ghosts are real. I've never seen one. But it is fun to wonder," Spitzer said. "The hotel has been a landmark for over 75 years and it has an interesting history behind it."

Construction began on the hotel on Friday, Feb. 13, 1925, by George Merrick, the founder of Coral Gables. It was modeled after the Giralda tower in Sevilla, Spain, and has been a signature feature of the South Florida landscape ever since.

When the hotel opened in 1926 it was the center of attention, featuring two 18-hole golf courses, 26 gondolas in the canals, weekly fox-hunts, a water show and polo grounds. Entertainers and celebrities from around the world came to stay in Coral Gables and the room they wanted to go to was the suite on the 13th floor. The Biltmore is one of the few hotels in the country to label a 13th floor and it only has one elevator that goes up to the floor, that is when the ghosts want it to.

That is where Spitzer tells the story of the Biltmore's most famous ghost of all, Thomas "Fatty" Walsh, a gangland type individual who ran an illicit casino for mobsters and the social elite in the 1920s on the 13th floor. Another gangster shot him to death one evening with the casino full of guests.

"To this day 'Fatty' Walsh still haunts the hotel by messing with the elevator and lights," Spitzer said.

Groups and researchers of the paranormal have claimed to see him and there is an account that he explained the details of the murder to a group holding a séance one evening.

Spitzer is an expert at telling these stories and more. She has a master's degree in storytelling from Eastern Tennessee State University and founded the Miami Storytellers Guild. She has been the resident storyteller at the Biltmore Hotel for six years.

When not at the Biltmore, Spitzer can be found around town and throughout the country sharing stories about folklore and history with audiences of all ages.

For more information on the Biltmore stories or to schedule a meeting with Spitzer and a group or class, call 305-665-8429.