George Washington Vanderbilt II built the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina between 1889 and 1895. Modeled after European castles, the estate covers 8,000 acres and contains 16 rooms, including 250 bedrooms and 34 bathrooms. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted, the Biltmore House is a National Historic Landmark and major tourist attraction. Visitors can tour the gardens, swimming pool, bowling alley, and acres of untouched nature, as well as the fully functioning winery and 213-room hotel located on the grounds.
Between the years of 1889 and 1895, George Washington Vanderbilt II had the Biltmore House built in Asheville, North Carolina after frequently visiting the area to see his sick mother. Vanderbilt fell in love with the area and began construction on the estate, which today covers approximately 8,000 acres (32 km²). The Biltmore House is modeled after 16th-century European castles and contains 16 rooms, including 250 bedrooms, and 34 bathrooms. In true Vanderbilt fashion, the Biltmore House was a decadent example of Gilded Age opulence, and is still the largest privately owned property in the country.
Vanderbilt’s Biltmore House, which he affectionately called his “little mountain escape,” was designed by New York-based architect Richard Morris Hunt, who had worked on other Vanderbilt mansions. Since Vanderbilt was fascinated with travel, he wanted his house to be built on the foundations of European castles with a lush landscape surrounding it. The grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted – designer of Central Park in New York City – who, in the process of designing the grounds, established the first managed forest in the United States. He rehabilitated land that had been damaged by over-farming and logging and managed a team of foresters to restore the beauty and utility of the area.
To accommodate the massive construction effort, a three-mile (4.82 km) section of railroad was constructed so that materials could be easily transported to the site. A brick factory and carpentry shop were also built on site to make construction more manageable. The 175,000 square foot (16,300 square meter) home is located in the heart of what would later become Pisgah National Forest; Originally, the estate occupied 125,000 acres (506 square kilometers), but after Vanderbilt’s death in 1914, his widow sold much of the land to the federal government so it could be preserved.
Today, the Biltmore House is a National Historic Landmark and is a major tourist attraction in the Asheville area. It is owned by the Biltmore Company, managed by Vanderbilt’s nephew. Tourists can visit the gardens and check out the huge swimming pool, bowling alley and acres of untouched nature. The Biltmore House has since been designated a museum, and over a million visitors a year come to view the restored bedrooms, kitchens, two-story library, and other measures of the home’s opulence. Visitors can also tour the 213-room hotel and fully functioning winery located on the grounds.
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