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The Biltmore House is the largest private home in the United States , at 175,000 square feet. It is located outside Asheville, North Carolina . DESIGN In the 1880s , George Washington Vanderbilt II , a son of William Henry Vanderbilt , began to make regular visits with his mother to the Asheville, North Carolina, area. He loved the scenery and climate so much that he decided to create his own winter estate in the area, as his older brothers and sisters had built summer houses in places such as Newport, Rhode Island , Shelburne Farms, Vermont , Florham Park, New Jersey , and Hyde Park, New York . Vanderbilt commissioned Richard Morris Hunt , who had previously designed houses for various family members, to design the house in imitation of several Loire Valley chateaux, including the Chateau De Blois . Wanting the best, Vanderbilt also employed Frederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds and Gifford Pinchot to manage the forests. Intending that the estate could be self-supporting, Vanderbilt set up scientific forestry programs, poultry farms, cattle farms, hog farms and a dairy. Vanderbilt's idea was to replicate the working estates of England. Family members and friends invited from all over the United States and beyond came to experience the opulent estate with the splendor of Olmsted's sweet-smelling gardens, rich foods at the 64 seat banquet table, and the utter beauty of Vanderbilt's mountainous estate. After Vanderbilt died of complications from an appendectomy in 1914, his widow sold much of the original 125,000 acres (506 km²) to the federal government to become Pisgah National Forest . The estate includes approximately 8,000 acres today. Visitors from all over the world continue to be amazed at the indoor pool, bowling alley, exercise equipment, library, and other rooms filled with art works, furniture, and novelties such as electricity, elevators and an intercom system. It remains a major tourist attraction in western North Carolina, with over 900,000 visitors each year. It is still owned by Vanderbilt's grandson, William A.V. Cecil. In 1963, it was designated a National Historic Landmark . POPULAR CULTURE Biltmore House was prominently displayed in films including '' Being There '', '' Richie Rich '', '' The Swan '', and '' Hannibal ''. Other films filmed on the Biltmore Estate were: '' The Last Of The Mohicans '', '' Forrest Gump , '' Patch Adams '', '' Tap Roots '', '' The Clearing '', '' Mr. Destiny '', '' My Fellow Americans '', and '' The Private Eyes ''. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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