1897 Belleview Biltmore Hotel: will now all four wings remain a hotel with authentic Victorian charm
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Biltmore T-shirt
Biltmore Tote Bag
Biltmore Hotel Charm Biltmore
Art: Gardenias on the Veranda
Fine Art Photos, choice of 19
Calendar
Biltmore Watercolor
Greeting Card
Bookmark
Biltmore T-Shirt, Photo
Biltmore Tote Bag,
Photo
Welcome to www.SaveTheBiltmore.com Belleview Biltmore Hotel, Built 1897, Belleair Florida
TODAY'S ALERTS and CURRENT STATUS OF THE HOTEL
VICTORY!! THE BELLEVIEW BILTMORE HOTEL IS SAVED!
Welcome to Save the Biltmore Preservationists, Inc., a nonprofit organization. A group of people dedicated to saving and preserving the 1897 Belleview Biltmore Hotel, all four wings and all guest rooms so this beautiful building remains a hotel with AUTHENTIC Victorian charm. This web site was launched by Diane Hein, president of Save the Biltmore Preservationists in November, 2004 when it was first learned that the Biltmore might be demolished. We always welcome new supporters. Email me Diane Hein, if you wish to be on my Save the Biltmore Update mailing list in which I send out news about the Biltmore and its events and activities. There is exciting news to report!
Legg Mason Real Estate Investment company from Los Angeles, California has purchased the Belleview Biltmore as of Wednesday, June 20th, 2007! After a three year long battle with many struggles, the war is won! Legg Mason has great plans for preservation and restoration and plan to make the Biltmore a 4 or 5 star hotel! The Biltmore is on the National Register of Historic Places, this offers NO legal protection for the hotel. The Biltmore was also placed on the list of 11 most endangered historical buildings by the prestigious National Trust. Florida Trust also placed the Biltmore on its list in 2006. Again these preservation organizations provided absolutely NO legal protection to save the Biltmore! These organizations only support and endorse historic protection.
We have a brand new Save the Biltmore T-shirt and tote bag design by renowned watercolorist Janice James so click here to order it at our online store.
The Town of Belleair has a web site with a calendar of their meetings: http://belleair.govoffice.com/ Then click at bottom of their web page under: "Calendars" and then after this "Town Meetings." If you want to find out the agenda and what topics are to be discussed at the town meetings click "Agenda and Minutes."
Sunset
Splendor Clearwater Beach, FL #5 Free 8 by 10 inch fine
art photo with $25 donation!
FREE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY with every $25 donation! We need donations to spread the word in our community that we need more help to save the Biltmore! With every $25 donation, you will receive a FREE 8 by 10 inch professional nature or still life fine art photograph. For every donation of $55, you will receive a matted AND framed fine art photo! Perfect to decorate your home, office or give as a gift! All 17 photos are by Diane Hein, photographer, poet and president of this web site's nonprofit Save the Biltmore Preservationists. When donating be sure to give the number or name of the fine art photograph you want!
CURRENT AND PERTINENT NEWSPAPER ARTICLES AND MEDIA COVERAGE
BELLEAIR - As of Wednesday the 20th of June, 2007, the Belleview Biltmore Hotel and related properties (Belleview Biltmore Golf Club and Beach Cabana Club) were sold by Honeywell Pension Fund to Legg-Mason Corp. Purchase price was not disclosed.
The sale was welcomed by many Belleair and Biltmore friends, "This is a good thing for the Biltmore . . . it will now begin to make progress," stated one Belleair citizen.
Martin Smith will remain as General Manager of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel (and Cabana Club) while Chuck Eade remains General Manager of the Belleview Biltmore Golf Club. GF Management Group of Philadelphia will oversee management of the hotel assets.
Employees of the Biltmore have been notified of the change in ownership. According to some Biltmore employees, "Not much is expected to change at this time, but it is understood that there are management people making plans for improvements and other direction changes for the Biltmore properties. All of this is a good thing."
As one golf club member said on Wednesday, "Finally, all the talk about a sale of the property is over."
Belleview Biltmore is now under new ownership.
http://www.tbnweekly.com/content_articles/062107_bee-02.txt Belleair Bee June 21, 2007
Commissioners get Biltmore look-seeBELLEAIR – Remaining questions regarding the future of the Belleview Biltmore Resort may, at last, be put to rest with a few tantalizing revelations regarding the new owner’s plan for the fabled White Queen of the Gulf.
Biltmore Dodges Wrecking Ball St. Petersburg Times June 21, 2007
It's official. Two years after being threatened with the
wrecking ball, the Belleview Blitmore Resort and Spa was sold Wednesday to a
group that plans to save it. The buyer is Legg mason Real Estate investors,
based in Los Angeles. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Officials and
others close to the deal say Legg Mason plans to restore the 110 year old
Biltmore, removing the unpopular pagoda entrance, redoing the pool and adding
underground parking. The resort is on the National Register of Historic
Places.
1897 Belleview Biltmore Hotel: will now all four wings remain a hotel with authentic Victorian charm
Diane Hein from the Save the Biltmore Preservationists, a nonprofit organization, was proud to announce: There is wonderful and exciting news to report.....at last! Four local newspapers, the St. Petersburg Times, the Belleair Bee, the Clearwater Gazette and the Tampa Tribune have reported that there will be a sale of the Belleview Biltmore Resort and Spa to Legg Mason Real Estate Investors, (Los Angeles) by the end of this June! More information will be given at that time in one of my Updates after the sale goes through, but they are promising historic restoration and preservation and plan on making the Biltmore a 4 to 5 star hotel! This of course is a dream come true for me, my nonprofit organization and many preservationists to save ALL FOUR WINGS OF the hotel from demolition and restore it!
For more info: http://www.SaveTheBiltmore.com
http://www.tbnweekly.com/content_articles/060707_bee-01.txt Belleair Bee June 7, 2007
Biltmore purchase on the horizon
Photo courtesy of RICHARD WILHELM
A portion of the Belleview Biltmore’s new roof, including the Starlight and
Tiffany ballrooms and main kitchen is photographed near completion. The
re-roofing has gone down to the original beams and joists, with the old roofing
removed.
By CHARY SOUTHMAYD
BELLEAIR – After years of deal, no deal, speculation and the rumor mill on
constant overdrive, the sale of the historic Belleview Biltmore Resort and Spa
to Legg Mason Real Estate Investors will reach fruition within weeks.
Closing on the sale is targeted by the end of this month.
Included will be the purchase of the hotel, Belleview Biltmore Golf Club on
Indian Rocks Road and Belleview Biltmore Beach Club on Sand Key.
“We have engaged numerous consultants and historic preservation experts in order
to develop a restoration and rehabilitation plan for the property,” said Joseph
Penner, managing director of LMREI, in a press release issued Monday. “Our goal
is to present a clear and detailed plan to the local government and community as
soon as possible.”
Currently owned by Belleview Biltmore Resort Ltd., the resort is managed by
TRUST Hotels & Resorts. Richard Wilhelm is president and CEO of TRUST Hotels.
“I have a passion for these properties, and I am delighted Legg Mason is coming
in to restore the hotel,” Wilhelm said. “I am delighted for Bernie Powell
(former owner) that the hotel will be protected.”
Wilhelm said he is confident the future of the Belleview Biltmore will be “very
positive for all – the hotel, Legg Mason and the community.”
Already under way are permanent, high quality repairs to the badly deteriorated
hotel roof, which sustained extensive damage when Hurricane Jeanne blew through
in 2004.
“We are doing a quality job on the roof that will last for 40 years,” Wilhelm
said. “We have pulled off up to seven layers of roofing, down to the bare beams
and joists in several large areas.”
New roofing over the Tiffany and Starlight ballrooms and the amphitheatre are
finished, complete with green shingles, a trademark of the Biltmore in its glory
days.
Wilhelm is apologetic that the resort’s neighbors have endured years of
unsightly temporary roof fixes as the litigation with the insurance company
stalled in the court system.
“I feel bad for them, and I apologize,” said Wilhelm.
The town recently granted the hotel a 120-day reprieve to complete roof repairs
before it slaps management with a $250-a-day fine for code violations.
Interviewed by phone from his California office Tuesday, LMREI’s Penner said no
decision has been made whether to keep the resort open once the renovation
process begins, or close it down during construction. Penner said he looks
forward to bringing their vision for the Biltmore to Belleair, though that
vision is still coming into focus, with much to be discussed.
“This is a very large project, so we want it to be well thought out,” Penner
said.
He added that the pagoda entranceway will not be part of the hotel’s future
appearance.
Wilhelm predicts that once it is restored to its original grandeur, the
Belleview Biltmore will be admired both nationally and internationally once
again.
“It will look great,” he said. “Properly managed, this is an incredible
marketing opportunity in the hospitality industry ... This whole community is
going through a Renaissance and personality conflict ... By 2009-2010, I am
confident this whole area will see a complete transformation to a high-level
destination.”
As a new chapter in the saga of the Belleview Biltmore begins, LMREI is on the
same page as those who’ve fought to save Henry Plant’s beloved White Queen of
the Gulf from demolition.
“We know that the Biltmore has been an integral piece of the community’s history
and we look forward to working with the city on a plan that preserves it for
future generations,” said Penner. “It’s always nice to have a project like this
that is creative and historical. It will be a positive and fulfilling
experience.”
http://www.tbnweekly.com/content_articles/070606_bee-03.txt For full
article July 6, 1006 Capturing the charm of the Belleview
Biltmore
BELLEAIR – Located in an area that many say is losing its
charm to over development, the Belleview Biltmore has stood as an ageless symbol
of beauty, style and casual elegance. The piece is a charm, a decorative pendant which has
enjoyed periods of popularity in the form of a charm bracelet. Charms were
collected to capture memories of treasured life experiences … places visited,
associations, relationships. It is said that Queen Victoria wore charm
bracelets. The Belleview Biltmore charm’s renaissance was the
inspiration of Clearwater resident Barbara Arnold, who provided the original
charm for the mold used to create the replica pieces. Arnold is with the
preservationists group. Her family has shared cherished moments at the hotel in
a relationship spanning four decades. (Reader note that Barbara Arnold is
our director for Save the Biltmore Preservationists, a nonprofit organization
associated with this web site
www.savethebiltmore.com.) Ken Smith of K. K. Smith and Sons said that he is pleased
to have a role in bringing this piece of vintage memorabilia from the hotel back
to life. The family-owned jeweler’s Clearwater roots date back more than 50
years. Since a portion of the proceeds from the charm’s sales are
being used to benefit the preservation cause, the Belleview Biltmore’s many
admirers have one more way to wish the hotel “many years to come.” Prices set for the hand crafted charms are $75.00 for
sterling; $100 for gold over sterling vermeil; and $400 for 14kt gold. Charms
may be viewed and ordered at our online
store. Since all charms are custom made to order, a time period of 4
to 6 weeks must be allowed for creation and delivery.
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Photo courtesy of
SAVETHEBILTMORE.COM
The
Belleview Biltmore charm is available at
www.savethebiltmore.com
at the hotel gift shop and at K.K. Smith and Sons jewelers.
With developers eyeing the classic hotel for possible demolition, one tiny,
classically elegant piece of jewelry may play a role in its salvation.
The charm used to create the replica pieces was an anniversary gift given by
Arnold’s father to her mother in the 1960s, Arnold said.
This painting "White Queen of the Gulf" by Lauren Smith (L.Smith Studio Inc.) won an award at The Arts Center's Ephemera Show. It was featured on the front page article in the Seminole Beacon a few months ago.
Photo from Clearwater Gazette, Bernie Powell and wife Mary Ann. Mr. Powell was owner of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel from 1946 to 1990!
http://www.tbnweekly.com/content_articles/120105_bee-03.txt
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Photo
courtesy of www.SaveTheBiltmore.com
Tony
Blue displays three of his eight Biltmore mixed media art series including,
from left, “Gardenias on the Veranda,” “Victorian Charm” and “The White
Queen of the Gulf.”
Artist’s work to benefit Belleview Biltmore preservation effort
Photo courtesy of www.SaveTheBiltmore.com
Tony Blue displays three of his eight Biltmore mixed
media art series including, from left, “Gardenias on the Veranda,” “Victorian
Charm” and “The White Queen of the Gulf.”
BELLEAIR – Local artist Tony Blue has created a series of eight beautiful, mixed media art pieces showcasing the Belleview Biltmore Hotel. He will donate 20 percent of sales proceeds to the nonprofit organization Save the Biltmore Preservationists.
Blue is offering the art as limited edition (150 maximum) giclée prints on canvas. They come stretched, signed by the artist and numbered, mixed media and ready to frame. Photos of the remaining five of the series may be found at www.SaveTheBiltmore.com and any or all of them may be purchased at the online store.
Save the Biltmore bookmarks, year-at-a glance
calendars, greeting cards fine art photography, are also being sold online
to help raise money for the hotel’s preservation.
http://www.tbnweekly.com/content_articles/110305_bee-04.txt Belleair Bee (for full article) November 3, 2005
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Photo courtesy of www.SAVETHEBILTMORE.com Supporters of the Belleview Biltmore Resort and Spa are delighted with passage of the town’s new historic preservation ordinance.
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"Regardless of the ordinance, Stroud and Belleair leaders
claim the town's comprehensive plan, adopted in 1999, already protects
the Belleview Biltmore, which is referenced about a dozen times. "
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050620/NEWS/506200373
Attorneys with expertise in preservation and municipal zoning laws are now advising town officials that they are on solid legal ground if they want to fight the demolition.
Tearing down the hotel, they said, is contrary to the town's long-range comprehensive plan and therefore would not be allowed by law.
"The city is not legally entitled to issue permits
which violate its own comp plan," said Stephen Helfman, a Miami land use
and zoning lawyer hired by the town.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/888283171.htmlMAC=cb2e63688cf96f480abb533c49232237&did=888283171&FMT=FT&FMTS=FT&date=Aug+27%2C+2005&author=LORRI+HELFAND&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&printformat=&desc=Belleair+to+weigh+historic+preservation+rules
"She concurred with town leaders, who said existing town rules require an extensive review of the proposed demolition by officials and the public and that the town's comprehensive plan might not allow the hotel's destruction.
The existing rules protect the Biltmore, Stroud said,
but she added that it would be better protected with an ordinance that
has the details and procedures for preservation outlined."
Belleair’s Historic Preservation Ordinance Clearwater
Gazette October 27, 2005
By Renee Burrell
Belleair passes ordinance aimed at saving hotel from destruction (readers note, only the first draft of the ordinance has passed) By Leo Coughlin
BELLEAIR - The preservation ordinance aimed at keeping the historic Belleview-Biltmore hotel from being torn down was passed by the Town Commission on first reading October 4, but a leading advocate of preservation still isn’t satisfied.
Diane Hein, who led the fight to keep a developer from demolishing the hotel – the largest occupied wooden structure in the world - wants the Preservation Board to have enforcement powers.
Nancy Stroud, the lawyer whom the town engaged for the specific purpose of handling matters related to the hotel issue once plans were revealed that it might be torn down, said she favored the commission being the final authority on preservation matters.
Hein’s group had drummed up tremendous opposition to the DeBartolo’s group plans to demolish the hotel and build new residences.
Blocking Urdang’s plans boils down to a race to the barn, so to speak, because once the preservation ordinance takes effect in mid-November it will trump any plans to tear down the hotel.
The 25-page ordinance created by Stroud contains many
elements including preservation of other historic homes and measures to
prevent an owner of any designated historic structure from allowing the
building to become decrepit through neglect.
Our Save the Biltmore Preservationists Take Flight!
A few weeks ago the Belleair Bee newspaper published on their front page a magnificent aerial photo of Clearwater Beach and a banner that says: SAVE HISTORY: WWW.SAVETHEBILTMORE.COM
Tom Merrifield of Ad Air Force donated his banner and time to help save the Biltmore for us!
Click on this link to see this beautiful photo: http://www.savethebiltmore.com/SaveTheBiltmorePreservationistsTakeFlight.htm
The Belleair Bee headline was "Save the Biltmore Takes Flight" and the
copy was: "Save the Biltmore Preservationists
recently took their message to save the Belleview Biltmore Hotel to the
skies over Clearwater Beach. Tom Merrifield of Ad Air Force, St. Petersburg,
donated his time and banner to
www.SaveTheBiltmore.com
to help generate public support to save the Victorian hotel built in 1897."
http://www.clearwatergazette.com/20050929/biltmore.html (for full article)
Biltmore preservation group wants no condo aspect in
hotel by Leo Coughlin
While it appears DeBartolo Development has backed off from its plans for a project on the site of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel, a rival bidder for the property is a threat also, according to Diane Hein, president of Save the Biltmore Preservationists. (please note THIS web site!) Hein makes it clear that her group is opposed to the total demolition of the Biltmore. She wants complete historical preservation of the hotel. A lawyer specially engaged for the purpose, Nancy Stroud, has formulated a preservation ordinance that will be coming before the Belleair commission next month. Hein points out that the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables is run as a successful hotel that has been extensively preserved through the efforts of a strong preservation ordinance. Other hotels in the country, she says, that are similarly run as successful hotels while being under preservation protection are Victorian Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island in Michigan and the Coronado Hotel in San Diego.
Note: This web site is against having Rory Hiller purchase
the Biltmore.
READERS: We here at Save the Biltmore Preservationists are pleased that DeBartolo has backed off because their most recent plan was to demolish the north and south wings as of their presentation to Belleair last week. They backed off due to public pressure and lack of support by the town officials for their plans. My www.SaveTheBiltmore.com web site has worked tirelessly to stop the total demolition of the Biltmore since April of this year, 2005. I actually put up this web site in December, 2004, when I first heard the Biltmore was to be demolished. I want to thank Biltmore supporters and Belleair citizens who attended town meetings and or wrote letters to help save the Biltmore over the past few months.
Our group is for historical PRESERVATION OF THE BILTMORE BOTH INSIDE AND OUT! The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables/Miami, Florida is run as a successful hotel which has been extensively preserved through the efforts of a strong preservation ordinance giving many decisions to their historic preservation board. The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida does NOT have high-end condo/hotel units in their historic hotel!!! The historic Victorian Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island is run successfully with NO condo/hotel units! The Victorian Hotel del Coronado Hotel in San Diego and the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas is successfully run with NO condo/hotel units!
ART OF TONY BLUE
Click here to see the new posting of the beautiful
Belleview Biltmore Hotel series by local artist Tony
Blue. Total of eight.
"The
White Queen of the Gulf" "Gardenias
on the Veranda" For all eight series click: Tony
Blue
FUND-RAISERS NEEDED!
If you have any experience with holding fund-raising
events or have participated in them and want to help in this regard to
save the Biltmore, please
email me.
FREE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPH with every $25 donation!
We need donations to spread the word in our community
that we need more help to save the Biltmore! With every
$25 donation, you will receive a FREE
8 by 10 inch professional fine art or still life nature photograph.
For every donation of $55, you will receive a matted AND framed fine art
photo! Perfect to decorate your home, office or give as a gift!
All photos by Diane Hein, photographer, poet and president of this web
site's nonprofit Save the Biltmore Preservationists. When donating
be sure to give the name or number of the photograph you want!
Path
to Serenity Clearwater, FL #6 Free 8
by 10 inch fine art photo with $25 donation!
"On Wednesday, Richard Wilhelm, the president of the company managing the resort, said the Biltmore has doubled its gross revenues since 2002. There is no termite problem now, he said, and the resort is regaining momentum.
"The hotel has not been sold. Period," Wilhelm said. "The hotel is operating fine and looking forward to a very busy holiday season. The first quarter of 2005 is very solidly booked."
http://www.tbnweekly.com/content_articles/011205_bee-01.txt January 12, 2005
“We’re looking forward to an incredible first quarter,” Richard Wilhelm, president of the hotel’s management company, Trust Hotels, said Tuesday. “Bookings are 50 percent ahead of the first quarter of 2004.”
But Wilhelm was less forthcoming when it came to long-term plans for the resort.
“I have no comment about ownership except to say that we’re looking forward to a strong first quarter of 2005,” he said. “I’m glad that we’re in a very good, stabilized situation.”
You CAN make the difference in saving the Belleview Biltmore Hotel. Just start talking, calling, emailing!
NATIONAL TRUST PLACES THE BELLEVIEW BILTMORE ON ITS
11 MOST ENDANGERED LIST
The National Trust included the Belleview Biltmore
in a list it released Thursday, June 2, 2005 of America's 11 most endangered
historic places. The National Trust has helped save many historical
buildings through its efforts in bringing national awareness to historic
places. The Belleview Biltmore already has been placed on the Florida
Trust's 11 most endangered historic places as a result of this save the
Biltmore web site with so many people writing to this preservation organization
and raising Florida State awareness per the ONE MINUTE EMAIL
campaign. The following quote is from the National Trust web site:
“Today, the Belleview Biltmore is still one of West Florida’s most picturesque
and beloved landmarks–and a thriving destination as well, attracting thousands
of guests yearly. "Like other historic hotels, the Belleview Biltmore
is a link to America’s past, offering guests top-quality accommodations
with an appealing taste of history,” said Richard Moe, president of the
National Trust. “But unlike many other historic hotels that are threatened,
this one is still doing a thriving business. That makes it doubly hard
to understand why its demolition is necessary–or even sensible.”
For the complete National Trust article: http://www2.nthp.org/11Most/2005/belleview.html
Click the link below for the full story in the St. Petersburg Times, "Historic
hotel added to endangered list Belleview Biltmore supporters hope
a national list will give them traction against demolition plans." By Lorri
Helfand, Times Staff Writer Published June 3, 2005 http://sptimes.com/2005/06/03/Tampabay/Historic_hotel_added_.shtml
Please write to National
Trust, President Richard Moe, and John Hildreth, Director of National Trust,
Southern Office to encourage them to find ways to save ALL four wings of
the Belleview Biltmore Hotel. This web site supports saving the entire
hotel, and we need support letters to them in this regard.
Richard
Moe, President, National Trust
richard_moe@nthp.org
National
Trust for Historic Preservation, Southern Office
John
Hildreth, Director
John_Hildreth@nthp.org
YARD SIGNS ARE AVAILABLE!
It will take some time to completely update this web page, so please do not ask for yard signs since the hotel is now saved!
While we will provide yard signs free, feel free to
donate $10 for each yard sign when you pick them up to help cover expenses.
Thank you! NO money is ever collected at this web site.
Let's have a "sea of red" yard signs across Pinellas County to save the
Biltmore! We still need people to distribute yard signs in NORTH
Pinellas so email if you can do this. To
obtain a yard sign click: Locations
CALENDAR
Check out upcoming events right below this paragraph-
put them on your calendar.
FREE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPH with every $25 donation!
We need donations to spread the word in our community that we need more help to save the Biltmore! With every $25 donation, you will receive a FREE 8 by 10 inch professional fine art nature or still life photograph. For every donation of $55, you will receive a matted AND framed fine art photo! Perfect to decorate your home, office or give as a gift! All 17 photos are by Diane Hein, photographer, poet and president of this web site's nonprofit Save the Biltmore Preservationists. When donating be sure to give the name or number of the photograph you want!
Nature's
Canopy #3 Free 8 by 10 inch fine art photo
with $25 donation!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: (bring a car load of your friends and family to all meetings!)
For a complete list of events at the Belleview Biltmore Hotel click Activities
FIRST FRIDAYS AT THE BELLEVIEW BILTMORE HOTEL, BELLEAIR, FLORIDA
Every first Friday at the Biltmore is open to the public where cocktails and appetizers are served. Bring your friends and neighbors, have fun and enjoy meeting new people at the Biltmore!
Map to Belleair Town Hall at 901 Ponce de Leon Blvd.:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adpsearchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&searchtab=home&address=901+Ponce+de
For specific directions from your home or office to the meeting, simply click www.mapquest.com. Then click "Directions" and type in your home or office address under "Starting Address" and then under "Ending Address" type in 901 Ponce de Leon, Belleair, Florida 33756. Then just click "Get Directions" and detailed instructions to the town meeting will show which you can print out.
FREE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPH with every $25 donation!
We need donations to spread the word in our community that we need more help to save the Biltmore! With every $25 donation, you will receive a FREE 8 by 10 inch professional nature fine art or still life photograph. For every donation of $55, you will receive a matted AND framed fine art photo! Perfect to decorate your home, office or give as a gift! All 17 photos by Diane Hein, photographer, poet and president of this web site's nonprofit Save the Biltmore Preservationists. When donating be sure to give the name or number of the photograph you want!
Midday Siesta, Crystal Beach, FL #7
Free 8 by 10 inch fine art photo with $25 donation!
Welcome to Save the Biltmore Preservationists, Inc., a nonprofit organization. A group of people dedicated to saving the Belleview Biltmore Hotel, all four wings and all guest rooms so this beautiful building remains a REAL historic hotel. We welcome volunteers interested in helping us save the Biltmore. We will NEVER own the hotel, and we are AGAINST any group that wants to put ultra modern hotel/condo units in the Biltmore that would require extensive remodeling and against anyone wanting to put condominiums around the Biltmore! Diane Hein, is president, Edward Jameson, vice president, Doug Mann, Secretary/Treasurer. To be on my Save the Biltmore Update mailing list to receive news of the Biltmore and hotel events and activities Email me Diane Hein.
I, Diane Hein, launched this web site, www.SaveTheBiltmore.com up in December, 2004 after it was reported that the Belleview Biltmore was to be torn down. I wanted to use this web site to help generate ideas to help save the entire hotel. Fortunately there was enough public support voiced that this did not happen, and the Biltmore was spared the wrecking ball! At that time I mailed out my photography and poetry greeting cards, called Hellocards, along with my bookmarks (each bookmark has a photo of the Biltmore) to announce this web page to various people who hopefully would take an avid interest in saving the Biltmore PERMANENTLY! (My other Hellocards, photography and poetry are located at www.DianeHein.com if you wish to know more about me. I love historical buildings and artifacts, hence my interest in saving the Biltmore.)
On April 12, 2005, The St. Petersburg Times newspaper published an article indicating that the Belleview Biltmore AGAIN was under contract to be sold and destroyed. They mentioned this web site, www.SaveTheBiltmore.com, as I had kept it up and running, as I felt that it would only be a matter of time until another attempt would be made to destroy it. My worse fears came true. Honeywell and Urdang had a contract to sell the Belleview Biltmore to the DeBartolo group and put condos in its place and possibly another hotel. For nine months with much public support and the efforts of this web site, the Biltmore has been spared demolition. However, the redevelopment/demolition permit will be voted upon this month, January 17, 2006.
My personal vision, along with another Biltmore friend, would be to have the Belleview Biltmore as a world class golf, tennis and tourist resort. We could include more museums inside, woodworking and stained glass artifacts, classes and stores, to pick up on the fact that the Biltmore is the largest continually occupied wooden structure in the world. (The Biltmore has an authentic glass Tiffany ceiling in the Tiffany ballroom.) We could include a Victorian lobby, Victorian decorated rooms for a higher price, beautiful gardens for people to walk around in and then later they could enjoy afternoon lunch or tea on Biltmore's lovely out door veranda. A recent article in the St. Petersburg Times newspaper indicated that people are wanting more historical sites to visit, so the Victorian Biltmore would have a grand future ahead of her! And with Baby Boomers heading into retirement, they will want to go to historic places even more. So how about it Supporters and Friends of Belleview Biltmore, this is the perfect opportunity for YOU to help us Save the Belleview Biltmore so that tourists have a historical place and perhaps all kinds of interesting museums inside the Biltmore to visit right here in Florida!
Write local newspapers, the editorial columns, public officials, television stations and historical societies such as those listed above to get the ball rolling and make more public awareness. Time is running out! We need to build a support system to Save the Biltmore.
To view some of the historical rooms of the Belleview Biltmore click: Photos of the Biltmore. For more history on the Biltmore Hotel click: History of the Hotel
To donate money for a
newspaper advertisement to save the Biltmore Hotel click here: Newspaper
Display Advertising.
We will put your name
or your business name on the ad for your donation. A sample display
advertisement for a newspaper or magazine is on that page. Your name
will be on the ad. Email
me for more information.
The purpose of this web site is to gain community, county, state and national awareness and attention to help save and preserve this historic Victorian hotel, the Belleview Biltmore Hotel, largest continuously occupied wooden structure in the world, built in 1896, Belleair, Florida, Pinellas County. The Belleview Belleair Biltmore Hotel was built in shingle architectural style, Queen Anne, by Henry Bradley Plant and is on the National Historic Register. Many famous dignitaries have been guests at this hotel including President George Bush, President Jimmy Carter, President Gerald Ford, the former King of England, (the Duke of Windsor) the Vanderbilts, the Pew family of Sun Oil, the Studebakers, the DuPonts, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Lady Margaret Thatcher.
If we all combine our efforts as a team, we can save the Biltmore forever! There are 400 employees working at the Biltmore, so not only must we save this precious hotel but we must save these employees' jobs!
For a direct link to the Belleview Biltmore's web site click: http://www.belleviewbiltmore.com
Here is a copy of the
poetry from the Hellocard greeting card I have sent out.
The Biltmore poetry below is inside the Hellocard shown above
Save The Historic Belleview Biltmore! By Diane Hein,President of Save the Biltmore Preservationists and owner of this web site
The Belleview Biltmore,
you're an aging lady with a rich, youthful past
What can we do to save
you, to help you forever stand fast.
It has been said that
your business expenses are much too high
Now sadly developers
would destroy you without one cry.
I and the community will
rally round your cherished walls
To save you and to preserve
your heritage and honored halls.
Thought for the Day by Diane Hein
We are not just saving
a hotel, we are saving history.
Smile for the Day by Diane Hein
I don't want to go before my time and neither should the Biltmore! :)
To purchase a package of six Save the Biltmore Hellocards (greeting cards) for $13.50 click here: Greeting Cards
To purchase a package of six Save the Biltmore booksmarks
for $5.70, click here. Bookmarks
FREE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPH with every $25 donation!
We urgently need donations to spread the word in our community that we need more help to save the Biltmore! With every $25 donation, you will receive a FREE 8 by 10 inch professional fine art nature or still life photograph. For every donation of $55, you will receive a matted AND framed fine art photo! Perfect to decorate your home, office or give as a gift! All 17 photos by Diane Hein, photographer, poet and president of this web site's nonprofit Save the Biltmore Preservationists. When donating be sure to give the name or number of the photograph you want!
Cozy and Quaint Belleair Bluffs, FL #9
Free 8 by 10 inch fine art photo with $25 donation!
IDEAS FOR THE BELLEVIEW BILTMORE HOTEL AFTER WE SAVE IT:
A Supporter of the Belleview Biltmore wrote me this. It is a more detailed description of what I wrote above under "General Information." He prefers not to use his name, but I felt his ideas were very creative and intriguing, so here they are: Since the Belleview Biltmore is the largest wooden structure in Florida and the largest continually occupied wooden structure in the world, it would be terrific to use this to develop the Biltmore's reputation. For example, have a school for woodcrafts including: woodworking, such as restoring and making anything with wood, wooden boats, antique reproductions, wood carving, veneering, wood joining, cabinet making and marquetry. Small stores could be set up to sell this merchandise, and retailers would be paying rent to sell their merchandise. He said the Belleview Biltmore could also have a wood craft museum, a wood product museum through the ages and pay as you go classes. Since the hotel is Victorian, he said we should have a Victorian lobby, furnish some guest rooms with Victorian themes (charge more for those of course) and have a Victorian school of cooking with original recipes. Since the magnificent Tiffany ballroom has original Tiffany glass in the ceiling, stained glass classes would fit right in and it would be a wonderful idea too. See Biltmore photos on the web page for the photo of the Tiffany ceiling.
If you share this vision, and have a plan and or the money (a group of dedicated golfers perhaps?) to save the entire building, please email me.
I have received many emails for this web site as a result of many media publications so I want to thank all of them for mentioning www.SaveTheBiltmore.com. I also want to thank everyone who who emailed their support at this web site to save the Belleview Biltmore Hotel. May everyone who loves this historic hotel join together to preserve it now so that it will be saved for our generation and for future generations to come.
The Belleview Biltmore is not losing money or nor has it out-lived her use fullness. It is not a fire hazard and does not have termites beyond some window problems.
The hotel has been late in payments to the condo association and others, but given the problems the current management group has faced since taking over it is not surprising. This group took over the property over just before 9/11. They have been hit with an unprecedented hurricane season and news of the hotel's demise. 9/11 hit the tourism industry hard, and these events had to have affected occupancy. Even so, the hotel is doing well. Richard Wilhelm, CEO of the current management group, Trust Hotels, attests to this view in an editorial published in the Tampa Tribune, on December 19th of last year.
In regard to being a fire hazard and termite infested, the frame of the building is made of heart of pine. This is a lumber with a very unusual property. It petrifies over time making it impervious to termites and fire. In addition to this she has one of the best fire suppression systems ever designed. If properly maintained the Belleview Biltmore could out live every structure in Pinellas County if not the southeast.
The Belleview is in jeopardy because of two simple reasons. One, she sits on a valuable slice of land and two, she has been cosmetically neglected for many years. If you want to learn more about the hotel take the tour offered every day at 11:00. It will be one of the most enjoyable hours you have ever spent. We would suggest doing it soon because if Honeywell, Urdang and Debartolo prevail, this Grand Dame will soon be a pile of rubble.
If you would like to be on the mailing list to receive current events information and Belleview Belleair Updates about saving the Biltmore, just click Belleview Biltmore Supporters Mailing List and I, Diane Hein, will add your name and email address to our mailing list.
In saving the golden treasures of the past, we bank on enriching the present and the future.
We are not just saving a hotel, we are saving history.
FREE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPH with every $25 donation!
We need donations to spread the word in our community
that we need more help to save the Biltmore! With every
$25 donation, you will receive a FREE
8 by 10 inch professional fine art nature photograph. For every
donation of $55, you will receive a matted AND framed fine art photo!
Perfect to decorate your home, office or give as a gift! All
17 photos by Diane Hein, photographer, poet and president of this web site's
nonprofit Save the Biltmore Preservationists. When donating be sure
to give the name or number of the photograph you want!
Red,
White and Blue Forever! #13 Free 8 by 10 inch
fine art photo with $25 donation!
It will take some time to completely update this web page to reflect the new owner, so PLEASE do NOT do any of the below except #11 and #12 since the hotel is now saved!
The hotel owner is currently taking bids for the purchase of the Biltmore. Email me if you are interested.
If you want to know what to do help, here are the answers:
The Belleview Biltmore is a public jewel for both Pinellas County and the State of Florida. Preserve this treasure by taking just ONE MINUTE of your time and writing to the addresses below and forwarding that same letter to all of them. We need an outpouring of letter writing to Urdang and Associates, the real estate owners of the Biltmore, but if you have only one letter to send, send it to Belleair officials: letter #1 below.
Do your part today, VOTE with YOUR ONE MINUTE LETTER, tell them that you want to save all four wings of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel. Then feel good that you helped save this elegant lady. The power of the ONE MINUTE LETTER multiplied by hundreds and thousands will SAVE THE BILTMORE.
Be part of changing history, of saving history and of securing AMERICAN history.
We have had a very successful campaign in getting local Biltmore coverage in newspapers and television to the point that they asked us not to write so many letters! So now the NEXT step is to get FLORIDA state coverage to keep the momentum strong. The email addresses below include the media for the State of Florida.
If you feel you are not adept at letter writing or
do not have enough time, simply cut and paste the following letter, parts
of it or add to it. There are also longer
letters sent to this Message Board which you are free to use all or
part of it or to simply give you ideas on what to say.
To Whom it May Concern:
The Belleview Biltmore Hotel has
a rich history in Pinellas County, Florida, and we need to fight to save
this elegant lady. I want to voice
my opinion that we need to save the ALL four wings, east, west,
north and south of the Belleview
Biltmore Hotel for my generation and generations to come. In January
please deny the redevelopment/demolition
permit that has been submitted by the hotel owner.
Please do all you can to preserve this valuable landmark, a jewel in Pinellas County, a gem in peoples' hearts.
Sincerely,
Email your own letter or email the above sample letter to ALL of these addresses below by simply cutting and pasting these email addresses into your an outgoing email with the subject line of: SAVE THE BELLEVIEW BILTMORE! Only ONE MINUTE is required! The list below includes the email addresses on this web page PLUS email addresses of the State of Florida news media. Feel free to write any of them individually of course! We must continue writing letters as it is working!
Most email programs will handle 100 outgoing emails at one time. If for any reason all these do not fit into your email program, simply sent out to twenty to fifty addresses at time. It is MOST important to send your ONE MINUTE LETTER now to them!
YOU can save the Belleview Biltmore!
gemarianijr@cs.com,
tmanager@tampabay.rr.com,
fowlerarch@aol.com,
gmkatica@highstream.net,
bruggles@tampabay.rr.com,
tshelly@tampabay.rr.com,
mimaxwel@tampabay.rr.com,sppilink@aol.com,
surdang@urdang.com,
vsanfilippo@urdang.com,rgodwin@urdang.com,
scoopchik@urdang.com,
Adminstrator@ushs.com,
publicaf@co.pinellas.fl.us,
dferro@dos.state.fl.us,
tebeaulib@aol.com,
richard_moe@nthp.org,
John_Hildreth@nthp.org,
director@floridatrust.org,
saveamericastreasures@nthp.org,
members@nthp.org,
Info@npi.org,
Jeannie_McPherson@nthp.org,
Mary_Billingsley@nthp.org,
Mary_RuffinHanbury@nthp.org,
enquiries@thenationaltrust.org.uk,
napc@uga.edu,
info@usicomos.org,
Dunhist@Compuserve.com,
rduncan@pinellascounty.org,
charris@pinellascounty.org,
slatvala@pinellascounty.org,
jmorroni@pinellascounty.org,
kseel@pinellascounty.org,
rstewart@pinellascounty.org,
ktwelch@pinellascounty.org,
fl_ltgov@myflorida.com,
president@whitehouse.gov,
senator@billnelson.senate.gov,
bill.young@mail.house.gov,
WVENTV@entravision.com,
jcarr@wxel.org,
news@wftx.emmis.com,
wbcc@brevardcc.edu,
wceu@wceu.pbs.org,
desk@wesh.com,
dadams@water.net,
winknews@winktv.com,tv20news@wcjb.com,
news5@wuft.org,
mailbox@wb39.com,
bbrooks@ccjax.com,
jmiller@wawsfox30.com,
wjeb@wjeb.org,
news@wjxt.com,
newstips@firstcoastnews.com,
wb18wkcf@wb18.com,
greenepub@greenepublishing.com,
wscf-tv@bellsouth.net,
upn33@wbfs.com,
info@wdlptv.com,
info@americateve.com,
info@wirn.org,
newsdesk@wsvn.com,
fox49@fox49.com,
info@t51.com,
wtvjnews@nbc.com,
wogx@wogx.com,
johnny.Langley@mybrighthouse.com,
newsdesk@cfnews13.com,
desk@wkmg.com,
wmfe@wmfe.pbs.org,
wrbw@wrbw.com,
wpbfnews@hearst.com,wjhg@wjhg.com,
admin@wmbb.com,
business@wpgxfox28.com,
blab@blabtv.com,
wbqp@wbqp.com,
news@weartv.com,
wfgx@emeraldcoast.com,
dmayo@whbr.org,
tshields@wpmi.com,
donguercio21@msn.com,
wwsbnews@wwsb.tv,
lori@wtcn.com,
news@wtxl.com,
mail@wfsu.org,
dlethers@tbci.org,
newstips@wpecnews12.com,
NC5@scripps.com,
ZCREW@ZRADIO.COM,
am950wtln@aol.com,
wflnradio@earthlink.net,
tom@wwbf.com,us1radionews@aol.com,
iynstyne@aol.com,
wjed911fm@bethanybc.edu,wrmb@moddy.edu,
wbrdradio@aol.com,wwjb@innet.com,
otiodai@galsa1030.com,
robbie@gladesmedia.com,
wqba@netmio.com,
amor107@netmio.com,
wrto@netmio.com,
waq1@netmio.com,
mail@wave94.com,
amor107@netmio.com,
wrto@netmio.com,
waq1@netmio.com,
mail@wave94.com,
waazwjsb@earthlink.net,
oldies1027@atlantic.net,
wapn@wapn.net,
mwilliams@wndb.am,
ccherry106@aol.com,
wrod@cfl.pp.com,
wzep@wzep1460.com,
manager@oysterradio.com,
qax@qqwjbx.com,
theblizzard933@msn.com,
wafg@crpc.org,
corporate@jamescrystal.net,
sales@wsrf.com,wayj@wayfm.com,
jyo@aol.com,
manantial1350@aol.com,
wgcunews@fgcu.edu,
gator1019@aol.com,
energi1440@aol.com,
info@wqes.org,
production@star.newsouth.net,
wpsm@aol.com,
kiss1053@aol.com,
wygc@atlantic.net,
jeremy@thejoyfm.com,radio@wuft.org,
istephens@wayradio.org,
info@gospel903.com,
wrzn@atlantic.net,
suetreccase@clearchannel.com,
staff@citrus95radio.com,
angie@wafz.com,
wcgl@aol.com,
planet@planetradio933.com,
wioj@wioj.net,wktz@jones.edu,
wjctradio@wjctpbs.org,
gary@salesmjax.com,
oldies@cool969.com,
thepoint@1029i.com,
kaye.delo@aol.com,
wybf@bbnradio.org,
wnpb@bbnradio.org,
bankbk@isgroup.net,
913fm@email.com,
97country@wpcv.com,
wlvo@alltel.net,wmaf@sumnet.tv,
programmers@wlog.com,
kathykovry@bellsouth.net,
jharris3@tampabay.rr.com,
twebb003@tampabay.rr.com,
Sharon970@tampabay.rr.com
E. SCOTT URDANG
surdang@urdang.com
Chief Executive Officer of Urdang and Associates
630 West Germantown Pike, Suite 300
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
(610) 818-4614 Direct
(610) 818-4615 Fax
Dear Mr. Urdang and Mr. Sanfilippo:
I am writing to urge your company to save the Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Belleair, Florida. As owners of this
If you would like to write separate letters to other individuals click: WHO TO WRITE TO INDIVIDUALLY
Do it now!
2. Click Save the Belleview Biltmore Flyer and you can print these flyers out and distribute to your friends, neighbors, place in stores, restaurants, churches, organizations, offices, car or home windows. This flyer is shown in color but it may also be printed in black or white just depending on your printer. Or print one flyer out and take it to a printer and have 100 or more of them printed in black and white to pass around for just $5. This flyer is an easy way for you to help save the Biltmore by spreading the word!
3. Display advertisements to put in newspapers, we need donations for this. Email Me for further info.
4. Belleair town meetings to attend.
5. If you live in Pinellas County please send a letter asking your Mayor to support this initiative.
6. Spread the word
1. Tell 10 - ask family and friends to help, ask them to tell 10, etc,
etc. etc…
2. Tell groups - you're church, civic club (Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of
Commerce, etc.)
3. Check our distribution list - if you have one to add or an inside connection
at a place on the list, let us know.
7. If you have a web page, personal or business, just link our web site www.SaveTheBiltmore.com to it, and the search engines will pick up up the link creating a large web ring so this site will get more hits. Feel free to use this jpg for a link also in your web site back to this web site.
8. Sign up to be on the Belleview Biltmore Supporters Mailing List to receive current Belleview Biltmore Updates.
9. If you belong to ANY organization such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, PTA, sports groups, garden clubs, church groups, civic organization, political parties, churches, fraternities, sororities etc, have your organization print out the Save the Belleview Biltmore Flyer and distribute to stores, restaurants, offices and friends etc. Print one out in black and white and take them to a printer and have 100 printed out for only about $5!
10. Pick up a yard sign
While we will provide yard signs free, feel free to
donate $10 for each yard sign when you pick them up to help cover expenses.
Thank you! NO money is ever collected at this web site.
Let's have a "sea of red" yard signs across Pinellas County to save the
Biltmore! We still need people to distribute yard signs in NORTH
Pinellas so email if you can do this.
11. Spend a night, a weekend or a week at the Biltmore! Feel its Victorian charm while you stay there, take the historic tour at 11 a.m., lounge the day away at the pool, enjoy the spa there, and remember that the Biltmore is just minutes away from beautiful Clearwater Beach. The Biltmore also has its own golf course, the Belleview Biltmore Golf Club, red clay tennis courts and has an off the site restaurant on Sand Key, the Cabana Club which serves excellent food with a beautiful view overlooking the water. Catch a glorious Florida sunset while you dine there. Staying at the Biltmore will help its financial viability!
12. Book a luncheon, meeting or convention at the
Biltmore. There are many meeting and conference rooms, the Tiffany
ballroom and other facilities to make your meeting a success!
We urgently need donations to spread the word in our community that we need more help to save the Biltmore! With every $25 donation, you will receive a FREE 8 by 10 inch professional nature fine art or still life photograph. For every donation of $55, you will receive a matted AND framed fine art photo! Perfect to decorate your home, office or give as a gift! All 17 photos by Diane Hein, photographer, poetry and president of this web site's nonprofit Save the Biltmore Preservationists. When donating be sure to give the name or number of the photograph you want!
Golden
Glow #10 Free 8 by 10 inch fine art photo
with $25 donation!
FREE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPH with every $25 donation!
It is important to again have a HUGE PUBLIC OUTCRY in order to save the Biltmore Hotel. This helped save this magnificent hotel a few months ago. So PLEASE write to newspaper editors, televisions stations, developers, owners, historical organizations and email addresses above and below, and voice your opinion to SA