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Narragansett Hotel, est. 1877

NARRAGANSETT HOTEL, L. H. Humphreys, Lessee. -- The great hotel of the present has the population of a small village, yet the guests have extraordinary fare and every comfort. Humanity is in one of these mammoth establishments catered by wholesale, while at the same time each individual guest receives as much attention as though he had one whole hotel to himself; and it is this combination of large general figures with the closest attention to the minutest personal detail which forms the chief problem of the hotel proprietor, and constitutes the real mystery of modern hotel-keeping. It is generally admitted by connoisseurs and experienced travelers that the Narragansett Hotel, in Providence, is second to no other hotel in the United States, in combining hospitable ideas and practical business methods with marked ability of management and every luxury. This magnificent hotel was thrown open to the public in 1877, and during the ten years of the intervening time has been under the management of Mr. L. H. Humphreys, the present lessee. It is admirably situated in the business heart of the city, with entrances on Broad, Dorrance and Eddy Streets, and is conducted on the American plan. It is constructed of brick, with sandstone trimmings, in an ornate and thoroughly substantial manner, and was built and furnished at a cost of $1,100,000. It is seven stories in height, thoroughly fireproof, and contains 300 rooms for guests. Every modern accessory of the decorator, the cabinet maker and the upholsterer have been utilized, and the house is a beautiful and artistic exhibit of the most advanced achievements in those lines. More than $50,000 have been expended on decorations and paintings alone. The suites of rooms, for which this hotel is especially noted, are unequaled for decorative characteristics and for exquisite elegance and beauty. Its cabinet-work also challenges comparison with the finest specimens in this country, and the frescoes are elaborate and superb, and the law of harmony reigns supreme in all decorations. No other hotel in the country can rival it in the number of rare, costly paintings that adorn its walls. In the main corridor is noticed the elaborate painting of the 'Death of Nelson', after P. Jazet, representing the battle of Trafalga, where the brave Nelson fell. On the walls of the parlor are several celebrated oil paintings, including 'Luxury', by the famous fruit artist, E. C. Leavitt; 'The Flower Girl', by Schryver; 'The Fortunes of War', by James G. Tyler; 'The Wolf Story', by C. Rinaldi; 'Tally Ho', by James C. Thorn, and others, besides a number of water-colors, landscapes and marine views. The reading-room is liberally supplied with fine pictures, as are also the cafe and wineroom, all of which are much admired by visitors. The marts of the world have been ransacked for the decorations and furnishings of this palatial hotel. The interior appointments are in keeping with its international reputation, the sanitary arrangements are perfect, the means of escape in case of fire are unrivaled, and everything that art, science and capital can devise has been utilized for the safety and comfort of guests. Every modern improvement has been provided, including electric-lights, passenger elevator, steam-heat, electric bells, barber-shop, billiard hall, bar, and every accessory to complete hotel life; while the cafe is one of the best managed on the continent and is open until midnight. The cuisine of the Narragansett is made the constant study of the most expert caterers, and an experienced chef and a staff of skilled assistants successfully meet the demands of the elaborate bills of fare for which this house is so widely popular. Many notable dinners and banquets are held here during the year, while the leading public men and foreign tourists are guests of the Narragansett when in Providence. Mr. Humphreys, the proprietor, is a native of Providence, and is a well-equipped host of thirty years' experience; formerly proprietor of City Hotel here and at Rocky Point. He has surrounded himself with a competent corps of assistants, including D. B. Hall as cashier, and Messrs. J. E. Johnson, A. H. Baker, Chas. A. Stoddard and E. C. Davis as clerks, and has made the Narragansett the 'Mecca' for all who appreciate good living. With all these advantages at command; with, in addition, telegraph and telephone offices, postoffices, bookstands, cardstands, hackstands, railway ticket offices, theater ticket offices, and a hundred other conveniences, the hotel proprietor of the present day undertakes to do everything for his guests except to clothe them and pay their bills.

Industries and Wealth of the Principal Points in Rhode Island, being the city of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, Newport, Narragansett Pier, Bristol & Westerly.
New York: A. F. Parsons Publishing Co., 1892



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