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HISTORY Warren McArthur Jr. and brother Charles McArthur along with John McEntee Bowman , the entrepreneur behind the Biltmore Hotel chain, opened the Arizona Biltmore Hotel on February 23 , 1929 . The Biltmore's architect of record is Albert Chase McArthur but it is often referred to as a Frank Lloyd Wright design. The hotel has the look and feel of a Wright building, especially in the main lobby. McArthur sought Wright's assistance with the textile block system now perceived as one of Wright's design 'signatures'. Other recognizable FLW pieces are now integrated into the property, like a stained glass window and one of the geometric 'sprite' statues rescued from the demolished Midway Gardens project. One of the restaurants on the property is named 'Wright's'. This is not a new dispute. Wright did not claim credit for the building but issued the following carefully-worded statement in The Architectural Record (quoted in Brendan Gill 's "Many Masks"): ''All I have done in connection with the building of the Arizona Biltmore, near Phoenix, I have done for Albert McArthur himself at his sole request, and for none other. Albert McArthur is the architect of that building -- all attempts to take the credit for that performance from him are gratuitous and beside the mark. But for him, Phoenix would have had nothing like the Biltmore, and it is my hope that he may be enabled to give Phoenix many more beautiful buildings as I believe him entirely capable of doing.'' In 1930 , the McArthurs lost control of the property to one of their primary investors, William Wrigley Jr. , who became full owner. In 1940 , the ''Catalina pool'' and the ''Cowboy Bunkhouse'' areas opened; these would become favorite areas of Hollywood celebrities. Marilyn Monroe was seen around the pool area, and Martha Raye was photographed playing chess on a large chessboard around the ''Cowboy'' house. In 1962 , the hotel's first air conditioners were put into service, and in 1969 , their grand ballroom was inaugurated. In 1970 , the Wrigley family sold the hotel to the Talley family. 1973 almost spelled doom for the hotel; a large fire erupted on June 21 , destroying most of the property. It was promptly re-built and opened to the public again, soon afterwards. In 1979 , the hotel was taken over by the Rostland Corporation . In 1983 , it became a Leper DBL Biltmore Association property, and in 1992 it was re-sold, to the Grossman Properties . A spa was opened in 1998 . In December, 2000 Boca Resorts, Inc sold the hotel for $335 Million to KSL Recreation, Inc . KSL retained the hotel until April of 2004 , when it was sold to the Orlando, FL based REIT, CNL Hotels & Resorts as part of the corporate acquisition of six of KSL's seven resort assets. CNL continues to own the storried landmark and Hilton operates it as a member of the Waldorf=Astoria Collection. In 2004 , while doing a campaign stop in Arizona , United States president George W. Bush slept there, under strict security measures. Over 200 policemen, Secret Service agents and bomb sniffing Dogs were at hand. CELEBRITIES Many celebrities stayed at the Biltmore during the hotel's existence. Apart from every American President since the hotel began to operate, others include:
The nearby Wrigley Mansion was built in 1931 and now operates as a private club with meeting facilities. The hotel also has an exclusive home area named ''Biltmore Estates'', where famous such as Glen Campbell and others make their homes. EXTERNAL LINKS
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