Asheville's Biltmore Estate [History]

Biltmore, located In Asheville in western North Carolina, is considered to be the largest private residence in the United States. The house was built for George Washington Vanderbilt, a grandson of Cornelius (“Commodore”) Vanderbilt of New York Central Railroad fame. This French château-style mansion contains a total of 250 rooms that encompass a floor area of more than four acres (1.62 hectare). Officially opened by Vanderbilt on Christmas Eve 1895, the house is still family owned and is open to the public every day of the year as a museum (see Figure 1).