Today we had reservations for 10:15 am to tour The Biltmore. We grabbed breakfast and ate in the parking lot.
I started reading a book about The Biltmore, The Last Castle, but I ran out of time. After being here and seeing the house I think I will continue reading about it.
The Biltmore was commissioned by George Washington Vanderbilt II, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt the robber baron.
It seems sometimes the house and/or George Vanderbilt are vilified but there are good things about him and the house. When he started buying land in Asheville it had been abused so he got it cheap. Once people knew who was buying the land the prices went up. At the peak The Biltmore Estate was 125,000 acres (195 sq miles), it's now only 8,000 acres (12.5 sq miles). Some of the land was sold to the US Forest Service.
The house was amazing with some really giant things like fireplaces, windows, stairways. It was modelled after castles in the Loire Valley of France and we've been there and seen some of those castles and they need help. Needless to say this house needs lots of care.
Enjoy the pictures. Questions on any pictures, let me know and I'll add to our blog.
1 comment:
Wow! Tom did a great job capturing the house. Marg & I were there a couple years ago and loved it.
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