George Vanderbilt first traveled to Asheville in 1887. He fell in love with the sweeping mountain vistas and mild climate, and decided the area was ideal for his country home. Vanderbilt began purchasing land in 1888.
Because most of the land he purchased was agriculturally overworked, Vanderbilt hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps best known for New York City’s Central Park, to consult on rehabilitating the land, planting formal gardens, and siting his future home.
Richard Morris Hunt, preferred architect of the Vanderbilt family, completed the team. Although an early plan shows a 6,500-square-foot Colonial Revival country house, Hunt urged Vanderbilt to build on a scale commensurate with the size and natural features of his property. Hunt and Olmsted were considerably older than Vanderbilt, yet their collaboration was one of intellectual equals. Hunt’s wife Catharine remarked the ongoing work was “… made easy by the perfect harmony between [Hunt] and his client.”
In the spring of 1889, Vanderbilt invited the Hunts on a two-month trip to gather inspiration from historic manor houses and châteaux across England and France. By the following year, Hunt completed the final plans for a 175,000-square-foot French Renaissance Revival-style château.
George Vanderbilt’s 250-room French Renaissance château is a true marvel, the largest undertaking in residential architecture in the nation. Over a six-year period, an entire community of craftsmen comes together to create America’s premier home and the remarkable gardens and grounds that surround it.
On Christmas Eve in 1895, the country retreat George Vanderbilt has spent so long planning is marvelously decorated and full of festivity. The finished home contains more than four acres of floor space, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces.
George Vanderbilt had family and friends in mind when he set out to build his country home. His vision of a retreat for loved ones to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life had finally come to fruition, but only through years of concerted effort. Today, Biltmore House is preserved as a National Historic Landmark that welcomes guests just as George Vanderbilt would have.
The Solarium
The Breakfast Room
The Tapestry Room
The Grand Staircase
The Indoor Swimming Pool
The Greenhouse
Map of the gardens
The Gardener's Cottage
Of course there was wine !
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