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This art print features a stunning view of the Biltmore Estate in the fall. Biltmore Estate is a French Renaissance style mansion located near Asheville, North Carolina. It was built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1888 and 1895 and, at 175,000 square feet, is the largest privately owned home in the United States. Biltmore House is nearly four times larger than Bill Gates's house at a quoted 45,000 square feet, and nearly five times larger than Doris Duke's Rough Point estate. It is also larger than similar-sized mansions recently built by Aaron Spelling.
In the 1880s, George Washington Vanderbilt II, a son of William
Henry Vanderbilt, began to regularly visit his mother in
Asheville area. He loved the
scenery and climate so much that he decided to
create his own winter estate in the area.
Vanderbilt's wanted to replicate the working estates of
Europe, and he 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, including the deliberately rustic three-mile Approach
Road, 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.
The estate
included its own
village and even a
church. 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 sheer beauty of Vanderbilt's
mountainous
grounds.
Vanderbilt paid little attention to the family business or his own investments;
therefore the construction and upkeep of Biltmore depleted much of his
inheritance. Following Vanderbilt's death from complications during an
appendectomy in 1914, his widow sold much of the original 125,000 acres to the
federal government to become
Pisgah National Forest. Today, the estate consists of approximately 8,000
acres and is split in half by the French Broad
River. It is
currently owned by The Biltmore Company, which is controlled by Vanderbilt's
grandson, William A.V. Cecil. In 1963,
Biltmore House was designated a
National Historic Landmark.
The house was occupied less and less permanently until 1956, when it was opened
to the public as a
house museum.
Visitors from all over the world continue to be amazed by the 70,000 gallon
indoor pool,
bowling
alley,
exercise equipment,
library, and other
rooms filled with art
works,
furniture, and novelties such as
elevators
and an intercom system. It remains a major tourist attraction in western
North
Carolina, with over 1,000,000 visitors annually.
In 2005, the fourth floor of the house was opened, with a Servants’ Hall,
Servants’ Bedrooms and Bathrooms, and three house closets giving visitors a
glimpse into the life of a
Biltmore House
maid. The
Architectural Model
Room showcases Hunt’s 1889 model of
Biltmore House, while the
Observatory
offers
magnificent views of the estate from a central vantage point at the top of
the main tower.
Biltmore Estate is a one-of-a-kind location that has attracted
the attention of film directors for nearly six decades. Numerous movies have
been shot using the house, gardens, and grounds. Here are some you may
recognize:
Tap Roots, 1948
Starring Van Heflin and
Susan
Hayward, this serious yet romantic
Civil War
tale features Biltmore House and grounds footage.
The Swan, 1956
A commoner courts a princess, promised to a prince.
Grace
Kelly, Louis Jordan,
Alec
Guinness, and
Agnes
Moorehead star in this movie using extensive footage of Biltmore House and
grounds.
Being There,
1979
Peter
Sellers stars as a simple-minded
gardener who rises
to great political heights by watching
TV. Also featuring
Shirley
Maclaine and Jack Warden, the movie includes footage of Biltmore House,
grounds, and gardens.
The Private Eyes, 1980
Tim Conway
and Don Knotts
spoof
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in a film that features footage of Biltmore
House and grounds.
Mr. Destiny, 1990
Jim Belushi
plays a man down on his luck until
Michael
Caine offers him the chance to relive a moment in time, and create a
different life. The movie uses footage of Biltmore House.
The Last of the
Mohicans, 1992
Daniel
Day-Lewis and
Madeleine
Stowe star in the remake of James Fenimore Cooper's novel on colonial
America. This
romantic tale
features grounds footage.
Forrest Gump,
1994 Tom Hanks
plays the mild-mannered, southern man who accidentally alters history with his
life. Footage from the estate's
corn fields
and Lagoon are
used to create Gump's cross country run.
Richie Rich, 1994
The comic book
billionaire comes to life in the film that features
Macaulay
Culkin and John Larroquette. Biltmore House becomes the "Rich Manor" for the
film.
My Fellow Americans, 1996
Jack Lemmon,
James Garner,
and Dan
Akroyd star in this political comedy. Biltmore Estate served as the location
for the
farmhouse,
campground, and most of the
White House
scenes.
Patch Adams, 1998
A comedy about an
unconventional doctor played by
Robin
Williams. Cabin footage and other scenes filmed on Biltmore Estate.
Hannibal, 2000
Anthony Hopkins and
Julianne Moore star in the sequel to the
psychological
thriller
Silence of the Lambs. Biltmore Estate served as the home of lead
character Mason Verger. Scenes from the Sardinian
barn were also shot on the
estate.
The Clearing, 2002
Robert
Redford, Helen Mirren and
Willem Dafoe star in this
movie about a man who
is kidnapped and held for ransom while his wife tries to secure his release.
Part of Biltmore Estate's
forest was used in the production.
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