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Biltmore Estate

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Built in Asheville, North Carolina, the More Estate was built in the late 19th century as the summer villa of George W. Vanderbild. Its most notable feature is the French Revival residence, considered the largest private residence in the United States.

In the 1880s, Vanderbilt, who belonged to one of the wealthiest families in the country, began acquiring land in Asheville, eventually acquiring approximately 125,000 acres (50,600 hectares). Work began on the palace house designed by Richard Morris Hunt in 1889. It took six years to complete the approximately 4-acre (1.8 ha) 250-room house. The mansion had 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, 34 bedrooms, and an indoor pool. In addition to 10,000 libraries, the house also possessed a rich collection of works of art and antiques.

The surrounding grounds were laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted.

 The 3 km long path to the residence was particularly striking. Designed to show that the place is a hideaway and has beautiful views, including a bamboo forest, Olmsted believed it made visitors feel “close to the sun”. In addition to the many gardens, the landscape architect established the first managed forest in the United States. Vanderbilt hired Gifford Pinchot and later Karl Alwin Schenck as a professional forester and in 1898 Schenck opened the first forestry school in the country there.

Vanderbild died in 1914 and ownership passed to his family.

In the same year, his wife sold approximately 87,000 acres (35,200 hectares) to the United States Forestry Authority, and by the turn of the 21st century, the size of the land had been reduced to approximately 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares). ). The pavilion was first opened to the public in 1930 and has become a popular tourist attraction. At the beginning of the 21st century, the property was visited by more than a million people each year. In addition to inns and hotels, this property had a small town with restaurants and various shops. Also in 1971, the Vanderbilt family established a vineyard on the property. Everything You Need To Know About Visiting The Biltmore Estate was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places three years later.

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