Biltmore: A Vanderbilt Family Legacy
Seated majestically in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, is the largest privately owned home in the United States, the Biltmore Estate. George Vanderbilt, one of the grandsons of the famous, or infamous, really, Cornelius Vanderbilt (The Commodore), started buying land there after visiting the area in 1888, and in the end amassed 125,000 acres for his grand estate, complete with a French chateau style mansion, designed by renowned architect Richard Morris Hunt.
The Vanderbilt family fortune was forged by Cornelius Vanderbilt and his expanding empire in the shipping and railroad industries. From a humble family beginning on Staten Island, he changed the face of commerce in the United States and was instrumental in the development and use of steamships and railroads for transportation of goods and services. His son William Henry Vanderbilt inherited the bulk of his father’s estate and managed to double his fortune by the time of his death in 1885. His son in turn used his inheritance to build the palatial Biltmore Estate starting in 1889; it finally opened its doors on Christmas Eve in 1895.
At the time of Biltmore’s construction, the cost was around $5 million dollars, which translates to roughly $183 million today. It would be virtually impossible to build something on this scale today, as the cost of materials and labor has so vastly increased. To facilitate the construction, a 3-mile railroad was built to connect the closest line to the house, and at least 1.000 workers and 60 stonemasons were employed during the process. George even built a brick kiln and woodworking factory on site for materials for the house. With his wife Edith, they made many trips to Europe to buy the most lavish furniture and decorations. No expense was spared in bringing their vision for the house to life.
Sadly, George did not get to enjoy Biltmore for a very long time, as he died in 1914 of complications from an appendectomy. His wife remained in the house until around 1924, when her daughter married John Francis Amherst Cecil. Due to the implementation of the country’s income tax regulation and then the Great Depression, it became necessary to open the house to the public to bring in some financial assistance, and thus in 1930, the Biltmore Estate opened its doors to tourism. This not only gave the family and the estate the lifeline it needed to remain open but brought money into Ashville and the surrounding area from the growing tourism industry.
I finally was able to visit Biltmore in the fall of 2020. As a huge fan of historical biographies, I had read countless books about the European monarchies and the equivalent of the American prominent families of the last 400 years, including the Vanderbilts. Despite the pandemic, the tours to the house and grounds were full, and I gladly paid the steep entrance fee to see the several dozen rooms that were open to the public.
It would be very difficult to describe the details of all the furnishings and decorations of the interior and exterior sufficiently, as this house is in a class by itself. George Vanderbilt had hired masters in their trades to complete this American masterpiece, and if you are lucky enough to make it to Ashville, you will not be disappointed by a visit to the Biltmore Estate.