America’s Castle, Biltmore House and Gardens, was built by George Vanderbilt in the last 1800s. George Vanderbilt, who was the grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, was a man of action, a visionary, and a progressive land steward. His first visit to Asheville was in 1888. He was 26 years old. He fell in love with North Carolina and decided he would buy lots of eroded land in the western part of the state to “nurse” it back to health and productivity. Over a decade, Vanderbilt bought more than 100,000 acres of land. He built a French Renaissance 250-room caster, which is considered to be premier home. It took six years to build. The home covers four acres of floor space, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. In 1898, Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant …show more content…
The best timeframe for this period are the years between the Civil War and World War I. Fortunes grew for only a few men due to rapid industrialization in the United States. These fortunes produced a society full of high-class pampered men and women. Thus, the Gilded Age represented ostentatious consumption and display. The Vanderbilt family was one of those families that had accrued a large fortune. Mr. Vanderbilt purchased antiques from Europe to furnish Biltmore. He often appeared withdrawn. However, Mrs. Vanderbilt was always warm and caring with friends and with common folk. In 1908, the Vanderbilt’s experienced economic hardship due to bad investments. The family had a greater loss in 1914 with the death of Mr. Vanderbilt. During the dark years of the Great Depression, the estate management asked the Asheville tourism department to begin public tours of the house. Over time, the Biltmore House and Gardens have returned to the guiding principle of George Vanderbilt. Once again, the Biltmore Estate is self-sufficient, running restaurants and cafes on their grounds, and enjoying the splendor of a time gone