Get to know George Vanderbilt’s magnificent 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, with this list of Biltmore facts.
Nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, Biltmore House is the largest privately owned home in the United States and was the Gilded Age vision of George Washington Vanderbilt.
Photograph of George Vanderbilt, a scholar, collector, and patron of the arts who came of age during America’s Gilded Age
George Vanderbilt was born in 1862 in Staten Island, New York. He was the grandson of famed industrialist Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, who established the Vanderbilt family’s immense wealth during the mid-1800s through shipping and railroad monopolies.
After visiting Asheville in 1888 with his mother, George Vanderbilt began the process of building his country home. Construction began in 1889 and Biltmore House was first opened to friends and family on Christmas Eve, 1895.
Biltmore House was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and is America’s Largest Home® spanning 175,000 square feet, which is more than four acres of floor space. The 250-room French Renaissance chateau includes 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces.
Adjacent to Biltmore House are 75 acres of formal and informal gardens designed by renowned American landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted.
George Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser in Paris in 1898. Their only child, Cornelia Vanderbilt, was born in the Louis XV Room of Biltmore House in 1900. George passed away unexpectedly following an appendectomy in 1914, leaving the responsibility of managing and preserving of Biltmore Estate to his widow and young daughter.
Biltmore was a pioneer in sustainable land use practices in 1895 and has long operated its farm and field-to-table program. Biltmore is also credited as the Birthplace of American Forestry. Today, Biltmore continues to honor George Vanderbilt’s legacy of preserving the land and protecting the environment through many ecological, recycling, and alternative energy programs.
While the current acreage of Biltmore Estate is approximately 8,000 acres, the acreage during George Vanderbilt’s lifetime was approximately 125,000 acres and included property later sold to the federal government to create Pisgah National Forest, one of the first national forests east of the Mississippi.
With 8,000 acres of Blue Ridge Mountain estate to discover. today’s guests enjoy Biltmore’s scenic backyard with outdoor activities like biking, carriage rides, hiking, horseback riding, and more. The private estate grounds feature over 22 miles of trails to explore.
George Vanderbilt’s grandson, William A.V. Cecil, began planting grapevines in the early 1970s, paving the way for the establishment of Biltmore’s Winery in 1985. Today, our winery is an integral part of a Biltmore visit and is America’s most visited winery. Biltmore’s award-winning wines are available for purchase at estate shops, on biltmoreshop.com, and in select retailers nationwide.
On exhibit inside Biltmore House is the Vanderbilt family’s original collection, art, furniture, and more. With an emphasis on preservation, it’s no surprise Biltmore prides itself on having an in-house conservation department.
View of Antler Hill Village with The Inn on Biltmore Estate on the hillside
A mission of preservation
Today, Biltmore is still family-owned and operated under George Vanderbilt’s mission of preservation through self-sufficiency – a philosophy embraced before the first stone was ever placed.
Over the years, Biltmore has grown to include Antler Hill Village & Winery, which includes Antler Hill Farm; overnight accommodations, including The Inn on Biltmore Estate–our Forbes Four-Star property, Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate, and our historic Cottages on Biltmore Estate; Equestrian Center; numerous restaurants; event and meeting venues; and a licensed products division.
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Since 1895, Biltmore has welcomed guests from all over the world to experience the splendor of George Vanderbilt’s visionary estate.
No matter the season, an 8,000-acre oasis awaits you. From historic gardens and grounds to outdoor adventure, behind-the-scenes tours, new exhibitions and events, distinctive retaurants, shopping, and an award-winning winery, there is something for everyone at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.
In addition to the house, the 8,000-acre estate is home to forested trails and beautiful gardens, which include one of the country's most complete collections of azaleas. Biltmore is also where you'll find the nation's most-visited winery. As you explore the estate, enjoy shopping, dining and luxury accommodations.
Construction began in 1889 and Biltmore House was first opened to friends and family on Christmas Eve, 1895. Biltmore House was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and is America's Largest Home® spanning 175,000 square feet, which is more than four acres of floor space.
The Biltmore Estate, which is located in Asheville, North Carolina, is the site of the largest privately-owned house in the United States. According to the property's website, the Biltmore House was built in the late 1800s by George Vanderbilt and features 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces.
Selecting a name for his estate, Vanderbilt referenced his family — and the mountains of Western North Carolina. The name "Biltmore" is derived from "Bildt," a Dutch town with citizens of Vanderbilt ancestry, and "more," an old English term referring to rolling, mountainous countryside.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in the state, Biltmore Estate proves that even the most-visited places have their secrets. The sprawling Vanderbilt mansion conceals hidden doors and secret passageways.
The appraised value of the 135,000-square-foot Biltmore House is about $37 million, according to Buncombe County tax appraisers in 2017. The value of the part of the estate that is open to the public with 2,194 acres, the House, hotels, restaurants, and other buildings exceed $300 million.
It was during the winter of 1942 when an unusual array of guests arrived at Biltmore House. Accompanied by guards on their journey from Washington, D.C., 62 paintings and 17 sculptures from the National Gallery of Art were carried into the house and placed in the Music Room.
Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt is born at Biltmore.
George and Edith's only child is born on the evening of August 22 in the Louis XV Room in Biltmore House. It is a celebrity birth, even by modern standards.
Their eldest son, George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil, occupied rooms in the wing until 1956. At that point, Biltmore House ceased to be a family residence and was operated as a historic house museum. Their younger son, William A. V.
Walsh's reign at the Biltmore ended abruptly when he was murdered in the hotel's 13th floor suite during a gambling dispute in 1929. His death marked the beginning of numerous ghost stories associated with the hotel. People have reportedly seen Fatty galivanting around his room.
Bottom line: "Anderson Cooper does not have any ownership in, or get any special privileges at, Biltmore Estate," Sims said, "although we would love to have him visit." In case you're wondering, Gloria Vanderbilt also was married to Pasquale DiCicco, Leopold Stokowski and Sidney Lumet.
Today, the company is still run by descendants of George Vanderbilt; the president and CEO is currently Bill Cecil Jr. The company employs over 2,400 people who maintain the 8,000 acres of the Biltmore Estate, hotel, winery, restaurants and shops. Biltmore House is the largest privately owned home in the United States.
Today, Biltmore House is a National Historic Landmark known as America's Largest Home®. Before it became one of North Carolina's most popular tourist destinations, it was simply “home” to the Vanderbilt family.
A trip to the Biltmore Estate is one of those experiences that stays with you for a lifetime. So whether you're planning a day-trip or a weekend excursion, you're bound to have an exquisite time. It won't rival the Vanderbilt family, but it's probably as close as it comes.
In 1960, the Democratic Party Convention was held at the hotel, with nominee John F. Kennedy receiving a hero's welcome. “Then, of course, it became famous for the Presidential Suite. FDR stayed there, Harry Truman, John F.
Also on the property is the The old Forestry Compound that was once the Biltmore Forestry School and the site of a sex workers murder. The spirit of the woman, along with a few others who were executed by hanging inside the old building, is said to be haunting the halls of the old compound.
Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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