North Carolina is known for it’s natural beauty. It’s one of those rare states that allows it’s residents and visitors to enjoy both the beach and the mountains at the same time. The golf courses, beaches, majestic mountains, and other natural treasures are arguably some of the most beautiful places in the country. No matter what section of the state you go to, you are bound to find beautiful landscapes and gorgeous homes. Asheville, North Carolina surely rates in the top three of locations in the state where one can find exclusive residential properties that surpass the beauty of many residences found in places like Los Angeles or New York.
The Biltmore Estate is a historical example of one of the original homes in the area that was built with complete luxury and beauty in mind.
Some history of about the Biltmore Estate is easily found on wikipedia here and excerpt can be found below:
“In the 1880s, at the height of the Gilded Age, George Washington Vanderbilt, youngest son of William Henry Vanderbilt, began to make regular visits with his mother, Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt (1821–1896), to the Asheville, North Carolina, area. He loved the scenery and climate so much that he decided to create his own summer estate in the area, which he called his “little mountain escape”, just as his older brothers and sisters had built opulent summer houses in places such as Newport, Rhode Island, and Hyde Park, New York. Vanderbilt named his estate Biltmore derived from “Bildt,” Vanderbilt’s ancestors’ place of origin in Holland, and “More”, Anglo-Saxon for open, rolling land.[13]
The Biltmore Estate (c. 1900)
Construction of the house began in 1889 and continued well into 1896. In order to facilitate such a large project, a woodworking factory and brick kiln, which produced 32,000 bricks a day, were built onsite, and a three-mile railroad spur was constructed to bring materials to the building site. Construction on the main house required the labor of well over 1,000 workers and 60 stonemasons.[14] Vanderbilt went on extensive buying-trips overseas as construction on the house was in progress. He returned to North Carolina with thousands of furnishings for his newly built home including tapestries, hundreds of carpets, prints, linens, and decorative objects, all dating between the 15th century and the late 19th century. Among the few American-made items were the more practical oak drop-front desk, rocking chairs, a walnut grand piano, bronze candlesticksand a wicker wastebasket.[15]
George Vanderbilt opened his opulent estate on Christmas Eve 1895 to invited family and friends from across the country, who were encouraged to enjoy leisure and country pursuits. Notable guests to the estate over the years included author Edith Wharton, novelist Henry James, ambassadors Joseph Hodges Choate and Larz Anderson, and Presidents William McKinley,Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. George married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser in 1898 in Paris, France; their only child, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, was born at Biltmore in the Louis XV room in 1900, and grew up at the estate.
Driven by the impact of the newly imposed income taxes, and the fact that the estate was getting harder to manage economically, Vanderbilt initiated the sale of 87,000acres (352 km²) to the federal government. After Vanderbilt’s unexpected death in 1914 of complications from an emergency appendectomy, his widow completed the sale to carry out her husband’s wish that the land remain unaltered, and that property became the nucleus of the Pisgah National Forest.[14] Overwhelmed with running such a large estate, Edith began consolidating her interests and sold Biltmore Estate Industries in 1917 and Biltmore Village in 1921. Edith intermittently occupied the house, living in an apartment carved out of the former Bachelors’ Wing, until the marriage of her daughter to John Francis Amherst Cecil in April 1924. The Cecils went on to have two sons who were born in the same room as their mother.
In an attempt to bolster the estate’s financial situation during the Great Depression, Cornelia and her husband opened Biltmore to the public in March 1930 at the request of the City of Asheville, who hoped the attraction would revitalize the area with tourism.[16] Biltmore closed during World War II and in 1942, 62 paintings and 17 sculptures were moved to the estate by train from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. to protect them in the event of an attack on the United States. The music room was not ready, so it was used for storage until 1944, when the possibility of an attack became more remote. Among the works stored were the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington and works by Rembrandt, Raphael, and Anthony van Dyck. David Finley, the gallery director, was a friend of Edith Vanderbilt and had stayed at the estate.[17]
With the failure of the marriage of the Cecils, Cornelia left the estate never to return; however, John Cecil maintained his residence in the Bachelors’ Wing until his death in 1954. Their eldest son George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil, occupied rooms in the wing until 1956. At this point Biltmore House ceased to be a family residence and has continued to be operated as a historic house museum, with increasing portions of the house opened to viewing.”
Vanderbilt set a pretty impressive benchmark for homes to come in Asheville, North Carolina. Throughout the growth of Asheville we have seen residential housing innovate and develop in line with design and new building techniques. The area is filled with unique architecture and people.
Recently the most expensive home in North Carolina was noted as being located and on the market in Asheville.
Click here or on the photo below to go to an article of this beautiful French Chateau.
Ciĕl offers 22 estate size homesites for sale with beautiful views of Asheville, North Carolina and The Blue Ridge Mountains. Ciĕl began with a desire to create an environment that balances the majesty of the North Carolina mountains with custom built and crafted luxury homes on Elk Mountain Scenic Highway. This desire has been cultivated into a mountaintop neighborhood that holds the integrity of the landscape in full regard.
Ciĕl is committed to environmentally conscious development within and beyond the standards of NC Green Built Homes. All aspects of the neighborhood are carefully planned to create a neighborhood that welcomes it’s residents and friends while providing healthier homes without sacrificing luxury and privacy.
Three homes were built to begin the neighborhood, as well as, a beautiful community garden with a meditation pavilion, fireplace, and grill area. Two of the homes in the neighborhood have recently been sold and The Privé located at 565 Elk Mountain Scenic Highway is currently for sale. 22 Homesites are for sale with the opportunity to develop with Ciĕl’s team of expert builders or bought to build with your own team while staying within the guidelines of the Ciĕl building codes. Homesites and land range in size from 2.7acres up to a combination of plots up to 15 acres. Ciĕl offers an exclusive location just above Asheville, North Carolina with easy access to the downtown area.
We welcome you to contact us for further information regarding Ciĕl and our commitment to homes and homesites for sale that retain the integrity of the land and address the environmental concerns of today’s world.