新澳门开奖结果

Top 10 Sensational Facts about the Biltmore Estate

Aerial view of the Biltmore Mansion By United States Air Force –

When it comes to the highlands of North Carolina, no trip is complete without visiting America鈥檚 largest home. The Baltimore Estate spans 175000 square feet on over 8000 acres of land. It is known as the largest privately-owned home in America.

Constructed in 1800 by George Vanderbilt, the Biltmore estate which was opened in 1895 became a sight of awe and admiration. The estate was opened to the public as a tourist attraction and a national treasure. Here are the top 10 sensational facts about America鈥檚 castle the Biltmore estate.

1. George chose the land because of a visit to the Blue Ridge mountains

On a trip to the blue ridge mountains with his mother, George fell in love with the surroundings and environment. He purchased the land in 1888 in North Carolina.

He chose the land for its position and relationship to the Lone Pine Reservoir located on a hill above the Biltmore that provided water and a river below that allowed the waste to depart. The following year construction began. At 25 years of age, George started the construction of his dream home.

2. It took 6 years to construct

George Washington Vanderbilt 1890 By John Singer Sargent –

The Biltmore estate was constructed from 1889 to 1894. Even after six years of construction by 1,000+ workers, the 250-room castle was not completely done. The estate was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted considered two of the most distinguished designers of the 19th century.

The Biltmore is a four-story stone house with an 80-foot with more than 11 million bricks, a massive stone spiral staircase, 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces, 34 bedrooms, 40 washrooms, and a two-story library. George first opened Biltmore House to friends and family on Christmas Eve in 1895.

3. It is the home of the first elevator in Ashville

Installed in 1895 by the Otis Elevator Company, Asheville鈥檚 oldest operating elevators are still operatorial and serve visitors and tourists. The Biltmore family saw the elevators at The World’s Fair and were so impressed they had an elevator installed in their Estate.

It was the first elevator in the southeastern state of North Carolina, it offered partial access to Biltmore house. The first and second floor is accessible by elevator and was meant for those who have restricted mobility and ease of travel. The home also includes a basement and some areas of the house contain hidden doors and passageways.

4. The home has an extravagant 2 story library

Biltmore Estate Library Asheville, NC By Warren LeMay from Cincinnati –

George Vanderbilt, once called 鈥渙ne of the best-read men in the country鈥� by New York media had always had a knack for reading. Educated at home by tutors, amassed a personal library of more than 20,000 books which he collected through the years.

He began keeping a record of the books he had read when he was 12 years old and continued keeping entries in his diaries into his old age. The two-story library contains beautifully carved walnut bookcases with a book collection consisting of approximately 24,000 volumes.

His collections span from architecture and landscape design, history, etc. The forestry room was designed for the gorgeous 18^th-century ceiling painting by Pelligrini. Titled 鈥淭he Chariot of Aurora,鈥� it was originally located in a palace in Venice, Italy.

You can find paintings, 13 separate canvases, and the central scene surrounded by 12 smaller paintings. The black marble fireplace and walnut mantle were carved by Austrian artist Karl Bitter. It is said that George read an average of 81 books a year.

5. Biltmore was a pioneer in sustainable land-use practices

View of the gardens of the Biltmore Estate. By No machine-readable author provided –

Biltmore estate has been credited as the birthplace of sustainable land use and has long operated its farm and field-to-table program. In the 1800s and 1900s, the estate鈥檚 rolling pastures provided beauty and a place for livestock to graze.

The estate鈥檚 vineyard produced Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot grapes. It also has pastured beef, lamb, and pork, as well as eggs from chicken.

The Biltmore estate worked with community farmers and food producers to source local ingredients and meat. This was among the first households to hold such practices at the time.

6. Part of the Biltmore land created a forest

In May 1914, Edith Vanderbilt completed her late husband鈥檚 wishes by selling an 86,000-acre tract of Biltmore to the U.S. government. The land was managed as public land and created one of the first national forests east of the Mississippi River: Pisgah National Forest.

Biltmore was approximately 125,000 acres before the sale. Today, Biltmore Estate and its resources continue to be managed by the family, honoring George Vanderbilt鈥檚 legacy of conservation and environmental stewardship. Currently, the estate covers approximately 8,000 acres.

7. The Biltmore estate owns a winery

Biltmore Winery located on Biltmore Farms By HumongoNationphotogallery –

George Vanderbilt鈥檚 grandson, William A.V. Cecil, began planting grapevines in the early 1970s, paving the way for the establishment of Biltmore鈥檚 Winery in 1985. Today, our winery is an integral part of your Biltmore visit.

8. Biltmore had one of the first inside pool

George had the Biltmore estate installed with one of the first indoor swimming pools in the country. In addition, the pool was lit with bulbs running the perimeter of the pool.

This was truly a rare occurrence as at the time many homes still used candles ad very few homes had the luxury of electricity. In addition, Moreover, it also has the first private bowling alley. All built by a new company called Brunswick  

9. It was among the first buildings to have electricity

The Biltmore Estate at night By B1d2p3 –

Through his travels, George was fascinated by light and thus made sure his estate would have electricity. At the time very few houses could boast of having electricity and only the elite and wealthy could afford it.  

More interestingly, the Biltmore was wired with both AC and DC electric delivery. This was because the battle between Edison鈥檚 direct current and Westinghouse鈥檚 use of Tesla鈥檚 alternating current was yet to be decided.

10. In 1930, the Biltmore House was opened to the general public

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina By 24dupontchevy –

George opened the doors to his architectural masterpiece to the public in 1930 with the hope of increasing tourism to the area during the Depression. He hoped to assist the local Asheville economy with tourism whilst generating income to preserve the estate.

Furthermore, in 1942 the Biltmore House was pressed into a secret service during World War II where priceless works from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC were stored.

 About 62 paintings and 17 sculptures were delivered to the Biltmore estate by train with some of the works including Anthony van Dyck, Rembrandt, Raphael, and Gilbert Stuart鈥檚 George Washington portrait. They stayed secured at the estate until 1944.

There you have it, 10 sensational facts about America鈥檚 very own castle, the Biltmore Estate.