Biltmore Estate: The Most Distinguished Private Place

"Just a short note of praise for this book." according to The Grand Kenyon. Just a short note of praise for this book. I was interested in something "meatier" about this palatial structure in the North Carolina mountains, something that gave me information about the owner/builder, the structure and its plans, etc. I hit the jackpot with this book. It is not the usual collection of photos illustrating Gilded Age extravagance; rather, it is a serious look at the process by which that extravagance was realized. Of all the books available concerning the Biltmore this one gives the reader a significantly more substantial understanding of the origins of the home: the ma. Lonnie R. Fuqua said its good to hear the names of other people involved besides. very interestingsome things I knewsome things I did notits good to hear the names of other people involved besides the big its good to hear the names of other people involved besides very interestingsome things I knewsome things I did notits good to hear the names of other people involved besides the big 3it always takes a village. it always takes a village. "Great book - long delivery time" according to Stay at home Mom. This book is very detailed concerning the architecture and landscaping of the Biltmore House. If you are looking for just an overview then you should probably look for a different book. We are very pleased with the book. The four stars is due to the long time that it took for the book to arrive.

The estate served as the cradle of the profession of forestry in America. "The most distinguished private place" - that is how, in 1893, the great landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted described Biltmore Estate, perhaps the most ambitious private building project of America's Gilded Age. Its 255 rooms, with spectacular and finely crafted interiors, opulent furnishings (some designed by Hunt), and furniture and decorative arts objects collected by Vanderbilt from all corners of the world, have made it a rich national treasure. This meticulously researched book accompanies an exhibition organized by The Octagon, the Museum of The American Architectural Foundation; it chronicles Biltmore from inception, development, and construction through its Christmas 1895 opening celebrations, and into the present. With Olmsted's advice and expertise, it became the first working model of a scientifically

. Original architectural drawings, sketches, plans, presentation drawings, nineteenth-century photographs, and vibrant new color photography complete this portrait of a great landmark. Along with Olmsted, he commissioned the preeminent architect of the day, Richard Morris Hunt, to design the estate. It was only five years earlier that George Washington Vanderbilt purchased the first parcel of what would become his 125,000-acre estate in Asheville, North Carolina. With Olmsted's advice and expertise, it became the first working model of a scientifically managed forest and played a critical role in the creation of our national parks. Today Biltmore Estate belongs to George Wa