In the 1880s, at the height of the
Gilded Age, George Washington
Vanderbilt II, a son of William
Henry Vanderbilt, began to make
regular visits with his mother to
the Asheville area. He loved the
scenery and climate so much that he
decided to create his own winter
estate in the area, as his older
brothers and sisters had built
opulent summer houses in places such
as Newport, Rhode Island and Hyde
Park, New York.
Vanderbilt's idea was to replicate the working estates of Europe. He commissioned Richard Morris Hunt, who had previously designed houses for various family members, to design the house in imitation of several Loire Valley chateaux, including the Chateau de Blois. Wanting the best, Vanderbilt also employed Frederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds, including the deliberately rustic three-mile Approach Road, and Gifford Pinchot to manage the forests. Intending that the estate could be self-supporting, Vanderbilt set up scientific forestry programs, poultry farms, cattle farms, hog farms and a dairy. The estate included its own village and even a church. Family members and friends invited from all over the United States and beyond came to experience the opulent estate with the splendor of Olmsted's sweet-smelling gardens, rich foods at the 64 seat banquet table, and the utter beauty of Vanderbilt's mountainous grounds.
Vanderbilt paid little attention to the family business or his own investments, and the construction and upkeep of Biltmore depleted much of his inheritance. After Vanderbilt died of complications from an appendectomy in 1914, his widow sold much of the original 125,000 acres (506 kmē) to the federal government to become Pisgah National Forest. The estate includes approximately 8,000 acres today and is split in half by the French Broad River. It is owned today by The Biltmore Company, which is controlled by Vanderbilt's grandson, William A.V. Cecil. In 1963, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. The Biltmore House official site
Vanderbilt's idea was to replicate the working estates of Europe. He commissioned Richard Morris Hunt, who had previously designed houses for various family members, to design the house in imitation of several Loire Valley chateaux, including the Chateau de Blois. Wanting the best, Vanderbilt also employed Frederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds, including the deliberately rustic three-mile Approach Road, and Gifford Pinchot to manage the forests. Intending that the estate could be self-supporting, Vanderbilt set up scientific forestry programs, poultry farms, cattle farms, hog farms and a dairy. The estate included its own village and even a church. Family members and friends invited from all over the United States and beyond came to experience the opulent estate with the splendor of Olmsted's sweet-smelling gardens, rich foods at the 64 seat banquet table, and the utter beauty of Vanderbilt's mountainous grounds.
Vanderbilt paid little attention to the family business or his own investments, and the construction and upkeep of Biltmore depleted much of his inheritance. After Vanderbilt died of complications from an appendectomy in 1914, his widow sold much of the original 125,000 acres (506 kmē) to the federal government to become Pisgah National Forest. The estate includes approximately 8,000 acres today and is split in half by the French Broad River. It is owned today by The Biltmore Company, which is controlled by Vanderbilt's grandson, William A.V. Cecil. In 1963, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. The Biltmore House official site
