Wednesday, May 1, 2013

BILTMORE ESTATE.....ASHVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

Biltmore Estate
Ashville, North Carolina

 George Vanderbilt, the son of William Vanderbilt and his wife Maria Louisa, was the youngest of 11 children. He took his first trip to Europe when he was ten years old. Throughout his life he traveled to Europe many times where he visited the great country homes of England and France.  Having lived most of his life in New York City, he longed to have a place of beauty and peace where he could rest, read, and entertain his friends.  

In 1884, he commisioned William Morris Hunt to design and oversee what would become Biltmore House. Hunt was a well known architect who had designed the facade for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty.  Construction began in 1889 and the house was open for Christmas Eve in 1895.  George called his estate Biltmore--from Bildt the Dutch town of his ancesters and "more" which is an old English word for open, rolling land.




Beautiful red bud trees along the five mile approach to Biltmore
Today the house is surrounded by 25,000 Acres
It was originally surrounded by 125,000 Acres
100,000 Acres is now Pisgah National Forest 


Along the five mile Drive



Beautifully landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted
Olmsted was the landscape architect who designed 



 New York's Central Park



















The Grand Entrance




The front Yard




Circular driveway to the left leads to the Home




View from the Front of the House






School Children waiting for their Bus



Front Door





















View from the back of the House




Wisteria Arbor 


Arbor leading to the informal Gardens



Back Entrance to the Garden


George Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser in 1898. Their only child, Cornelia, was born in 1900 and lived their until her death.  Her son, William Cecil owns and operates Biltmore house today.

Biltmore Estate has always been self sustaining with a working farm, dairy, and winery.  

It is open to the public 365 days a year.  No photography is allowed inside the home.


3 comments:

  1. Beautiful place. People with really fine vision deserve the money they make and inherit so they can build fabulous places like this. You should have bought some post cards of the inside and posted them for your fans. Well worth that trip.

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  2. Does the name Vanderbilt mean from the town of Bildt?

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  3. Beautiful pictures and I enjoyed learning the history of the Biltmore Estate. Great post!

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