His Home Was A Castle - Biltmore House

Impressive ArchitectureHouse Museum

Feb 9

Written By Kevin Durst

Biltmore, the opulent 250-room French Renaissance chateau, nestled in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, was the vision of George Washington Vanderbilt, carried out by renowned architect Richard Morris Hunt. Construction began in 1889 and the opulent estate, with grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, was opened on Christmas Eve in 1895 to family and friends. Included in the house was an electric Otis elevator, forced-air heating, centrally controlled clocks, fire alarms and a call bell system. The original estate was about 125,000 acres but it now only has 8,000. The mansion was designated a National Landmark in 1963 and today remains family owned and operated.
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The Vanderbilts

George Washington Vanderbilt was the youngest child of William Henry Vanderbilt and his wife Maria Louisa Kissam and the grandson of shipping and railroad magnet, Cornelius Vanderbilt. George married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser and had one daughter, Cornelia. This Vanderbilt family put Asheville on the map. They dedicated time and money to forestry and the community.

Biltmore House & Estate

This is a section of the amazing 1,700 pound six-story cast iron chandelier that lights the grand staircase with 72 light bulbs. It is held by a single bolt that has only been changed once since 1895.

As you enter the estate, Gustavino’s work is also incorporated in the design of the pebble and brick Lodge Gate.

Adjacent to the house is 75 acres of formal and informal gardens designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

The sunken octagonal Winter Garden, with wood and glass ceiling, is surrounded by stone archways.

The Billiard Room

The Banquet Hall had a massive triple fireplace, a dining table that could accommodate 38 and available space for additional small tables.

The Banquet Hall is the largest and most impressive room with 70-foot ceilings.

The Banquet Room has a 1916 Skinner pipe organ and Flemish tapestries from the 1500s.

The Breakfast Room

The Salon, with its fabric draped from the ceiling, giving you a feeling of an outdoor canopy, contains George’s favorite game table.

George visited Asheville NC in 1888 and was captivated by the area’s natural beauty.

Rafael Gustavino’s self-supporting ceramic tile vault and arch system is used extensively throughout Biltmore House including the hall ceilings around the Winter Garden.

At age 12 George Vanderbilt began keeping records of the books he read and between 1875 and 1914 he read an average of 81 books a year. Once Biltmore was constructed, he was able to showcase his collection in the Library, with the beautiful ceiling painting - The Chariots of Aurora by Giovanni Pellegrini.

The Oak Sitting Room connecting both George and Edith’s bedrooms, serves as one of the few private areas where the family could get away from the hosting responsibilities and avoid interacting with guests.

This is another view of the Oak Sitting Room which also served as a gallery where Mr. Vanderbilt showcased some of his most prized collections.

The massive two-story Library holds over 10,000 volumes. Mr. Vanderbilt was a book lover and his entire personal library contained 22,784 books.

In the Tapestry Gallery hangs a portrait of Edith Vanderbilt by Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. Edith was a wife, mother and lady of the house, but felt a great responsibility to the community. She founded the Biltmore School of Domestic Sciences in 1901. The school trained young African-American women in professional housekeeping. She organized the Biltmore Estate Exhibition (referred to as the annual fair), in 1905, to nurture a sense of community among estate employees and their families. In 1914, she founded the Biltmore Dairy Moonlight School to teach illiterate estate workers how to read and write.

The grand cantilevered spiral staircase contains 102 steps.

The Music Room was not finished during George’s lifetime, so it was used to store National Treasures during WWII.

George had a pianoforte placed in the unfinished Music Room, which was not completed during his lifetime.

A large print by Albrecht Duer hangs over one of the 65 fireplaces in the Music Room.

George Vanderbit’s bedroom

Prominently hanging in the second floor living hall are two paintings Vanderbilt commissioned John Singer Sargent to paint of architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted. The docent mentioned that Mr Vanderbilt must have had such respect for these two men in order to commission such a significant artist to paint their portraits.

Edith Stuyvesant Dresser Vanderbilt’s bedroom

Family photos

One of the thirty-five bedrooms

This third floor guest area contained bedrooms for guests and was sometimes used to accommodate spillover family members during large events.

The service staircase

Biltmore, a pioneer in sustainable land use, operated a farm and the estate is credited as the “birthplace of American Forestry”.

This is a corridor in what is referred to as the world’s largest basement. This basement contains 30 rooms including a gymnasium, several kitchens and some servants’ rooms.

One of the pantries

The 70,000 gallon indoor heated pool with diving platform, underwater lighting and Gustavino tile work, is reminiscent of the New York City’s early subway stations. The adjacent luxurious changing rooms had all the amenities to spoil any guest.

Vanderbilt wanted his mountain home to provide recreational pleasures for all guests. His bowling alley was said to be the first-ever in a private home.

Quench your thirst and satisfy your appetite in the Stable Cafe, one of the restaurants that offer casual dining in converted stalls in the former carriage house.

The Creamery is inspired by the original Biltmore Dairy Bar and is located in the Stable Courtyard.

This is the central tower, with opulent ornamentation at the top.

There is a network of trails to explore the woodlands and enjoy views from the boathouse, like this one of Bass Lake.

The huge Conservatory, within the walled garden, was a collaborative design by the three men of Biltmore - Richard Morris Hunt, Frederick Law Olmsted and George Vanderbilt.

Statuary and reflecting pools filled with koi, goldfish and many aquatic plants

This is the Gardener’s Cottage, within the walled garden, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The walled gardens feature a seasonal rotation of plantings and some 2,000 roses adjacent to the Conservatory.

The Conservatory, a tropical wonderland, showcases this model of the Biltmore House.

Another view of the woodland trails with bridge

With the passage of income tax and the expensive maintenance, Edith sold thousands of acres to the federal government. These acres created the core of the Pisgah National Forest, and eventually, she sold off more as finances demanded.

In 1930, at the request of the City of Asheville, Cornelia and her husband John Cecil, opened Biltmore House to the public. They hoped this would increase local tourism during the Depression and it was also an attempt to boost the estate’s finances.

In 1942, during World War II, Edith made an agreement with the National Gallery of Art of Washington DC, to store at Biltmore House, priceless paintings and sculptures to prevent them from being destroyed if there was an attack on the US.

George’s brother Frederick built Hyde Park in upstate New York, and sister Lila Vanderbilt Webb built Shelburne Farms in Vermont. Uncles William (Marble House) and Cornelius (The Breakers), both in Newport, RI.

What you should know:

There is a one price admission for the grounds, mansion and some options include wine tasting at the Winery.
Tickets should be purchased on-line.
There are self guided house and garden tours.
There are walking trails.
Its open 365 days a year but hours vary according to the season; check website for days / times.
You could spend a few hours to an entire day.
Restrooms are available.
There are a few restaurant options.

Location: One Lodge Street, Asheville, NC

For more information: Biltmore