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Biltmore Estate

Great American Mansions: Biltmore Estate

From Jackie Craven, About.com

Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina took hundreds of workers five years to complete.
Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina

Photo by Flickr Member "Kamoteus"
Biltmore Estate
1888-1895
Richard Morris Hunt, architect
Frederick Law Olmsted, landscape design
Asheville, North Carolina

Gilded Age architect Richard Morris Hunt designed the Biltmore Estate for George Washington Vanderbilt at the end of 19th century. Constructed in the style of a French Renaissance chateau, the Biltmore has 255 rooms. At 175,000 square feet (16,300 square meters), the Biltmore is the largest privately owned home in the United States. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed the gardens and grounds surrounding the mansion.

Vanderbilt's descendants still own Biltmore Estate, but it is now open for tours. Visitors can spend the night at an adjacent inn.

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