JOLEE-Power-Edition-2020

MANSIONS & MILLIONAIRES ——————————————————————————
hôTeLs PaRTicuLieRs MiLLionaiRes | Mansiones Y MiLLonaRios | viLLen & kaufen |
豪 宅 和 百 萬 富 翁
opposite: Many important Flemish artist's works can be found throughout the estate, including this etching
entitled ‘The Triumphal Arch’ by Albrecht Dürer.
Biltmore Estate
Country Living Of American Royalty
By Victoria Franciosa
Rome / Toronto
One of the largest homes and
most recognized names in
American history both belong
to one family, the Vanderbilts.
Biltmore Estate in Asheville,
North Carolina was built by
George Washington
VanderbiltII as a private country
retreat in 1889, with
construction coming to
completion six years later in
1895, when Vanderbilt opened
the retreat on Christmas eve of
that year to family and friends.
Nestled in the roaming hills of
North Carolina, with the
French Broad River flowing
through it, you can’t miss the
decadent checkerboard lawns of
fine Kentucky bluegrass amidst
the more than 8,000 acres of the
immaculately manicured
grounds of Biltmore Estate,
which was designed by
Frederick Law Olmstead, who
also designed Central Park in
New York City.
The castle, with turrets and
medieval ornamented detail
lining the steeped roof of the
entire structure, was fashioned
in the Châteauesque style,
topped by cresting or finials,
and decorated with gabled wall
dormers, drawing inspiration
from the French Renaissance.
Careful consideration was taken
as Biltmore was positioned to fit
into the mountainous profile
behind the estate. Vanderbilt
commissioned Richard Morris
Hunt, a prominent architect in
New York, to build his 250-
room cottage in the country.
Approaching the estate, one is
taken aback by the grandeur and
shear beauty of its design. The
exterior walls are constructed of
Indiana limestone, and are lined
with gargoyles, grotesques and
rosettes. But what strikes one
the most is the open Winter
Garden arcade, lined with
vaulted windows and exposed
ornamental arches. As you walk
through the east facade, one is
delighted by the three-storey,
winding staircase.
Biltmore Estate was a huge
undertaking. It is said that
Vanderbilt used much of his
inheritance building it over a
century ago, at a cost of a welldocumented
six million dollars.
Today that number would work
out to 136 million dollars.
Biltmore Estate is still privately
owned by the Vanderbilt family
to this day, but it is no longer
being used as a residence.
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