guide to the biltmore house in north carolina

Your guide to

Biltmore House Asheville, North Carolina

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Left: George Vanderbilt.Above: Cornelia Vanderbilt with her mother, Edith.Below: Scaffolding surrounds the stair tower of Biltmore House.



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On Christmas Eve 1895, George W. Vanderbilt officially opened BiltmoreHouse. Three years later, he brought his bride Edith Stuyvesant Dresser toBiltmore, and in 1900, their only child Cornelia was born here.

After Vanderbilt’s death in 1914, Edith and Cornelia continued to callBiltmore home, with Edith assuming management of the estate. In 1924,Cornelia married the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil, and theylived and entertained in Biltmore House. In response to requests toincrease area tourism during the Depression and to bring in money topreserve the estate, the Cecils opened the house to the public in 1930.

Today, Biltmore remains a family business. Vanderbilt’s grandson,William A.V. Cecil, owns Biltmore; his son, William A.V. Cecil, Jr., serves aschief executive officer, and his daughter, Diana Cecil Pickering, is vicechair of the board of directors and advisors. Along with 1,800 employees,they continue the preservation of this national treasure.

Need to take a break? Please exit through the Front Door. If you have an audio tour,

leave it at the Front Desk to pick up when you return. Please show your ticket to re-enter the house.

Our preservation

storyLearn about the estate’s

restoration and preservationwork with our exhibition, If These Walls Could Talk,

included in your admission.

Welcome to Biltmore House,

home of the Vanderbilts




ENTRANCE HALL: Guests of the Vanderbilts entered Biltmore Housethrough this impressive space, just as you do today.

WINTER GARDEN: A glass roof illuminates the center fountainsculpture Boy Stealing Geese by Karl Bitter, placed just weeks before thehouse opened.

BILLIARD ROOM: The Vanderbilts and their guests enjoyed playingbilliards on the custom oak tables made in 1895.

BANQUET HALL: This impressive room with a seven-story high ceilingwas the scene of dinner parties, holiday celebrations, and intimate familymeals enjoyed in front of the triple fireplace. The Flemish tapestries arefrom the 1500s. The ORGAN LOFT houses a 1916 Skinner pipe organ.

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Main Floor

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MAIN ENTRANCE

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Begin your visit at the Main Floor entrance.

George and Edith Vanderbilt welcomed their guests to relax andenjoy all the estate offered. Biltmore House was a collaborativeeffort between Vanderbilt, architect Richard Morris Hunt, andlandscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who brought theirdistinctive talents to bear on their greatest project.




101 Banquet Hall Design

102 Christmas at Biltmore

103 Renoir Paintings

104 Vanderbilt’s Prints

105 Music Room Mystery

106 Loggia

107 Edith Vanderbilt Portrait

108 Library Ceiling Painting

109 Napoleon’s Chess Set

110 Tapestries

AUDIO TOUR IN-DEPTH TOPICS Enter these numbers for additional information

BREAKFAST ROOM: The family and guests ate breakfast and luncheonhere. Portraits include two men who founded the family fortune: Mr.Vanderbilt’s grandfather, Cornelius“Commodore”Vanderbilt (above door onright), and his father William Henry Vanderbilt (above display case). Thereare two paintings by Renoir: Young Algerian Girl (on left) and Child with anOrange (on right).

SALON: Two portraits by John Singer Sargent show Vanderbilt’s mentorswho were instrumental in creating Biltmore: architect Richard Morris Hunt(on left wall) and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (on right wall).

MUSIC ROOM: This room was completed in 1976; it is not known whyit was unfinished in Vanderbilt’s time. During World War II, the NationalGallery of Art in Washington, D.C. stored priceless paintings and sculptureshere for safekeeping.

TAPESTRY GALLERY: Guests relaxed in this 90-foot-long room beforeand after meals. In addition to 16th-century Flemish tapestries, the art includesportraits of George Vanderbilt (above Library door) and his mother (to theleft) by John Singer Sargent. To the right is a portrait of Edith Vanderbilt byGiovanni Boldini, painted 12 years after her marriage to Vanderbilt.

LIBRARY: This room showcases Vanderbilt’sfavorite passion: books. There are more than 10,000volumes in eight languages here, attesting to the1900 quote from a New York journalist that Vanderbiltwas “the best read man in the country.” NapoleonBonaparte once owned the chess set and gamingtable. The Pellegrini ceiling painting, The Chariot ofAurora, came from the Pisani Palace in Venice.

TAPESTRY GALLERY: As you return throughthe Tapestry Gallery towards the Entrance Hall,note the portrait of Edith Vanderbilt in an ovalframe by James McNeill Whistler.

Once in the Entrance Hall, turn right to climb the Grand Staircase.

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Edith Vanderbiltby Boldini




George and Edith Vanderbilt’s private bedrooms and sittingarea comprise this section of the house.

THE LOUIS XVI ROOM and SECOND FLOOR LIVING HALL hostour temporary exhibition, If These Walls Could Talk. Please turn off youraudio tour and remove your headphones to enjoy the exhibit focusing onpreservation, restoration, and family history.

MR. VANDERBILT’S BEDROOM: With acommanding view of his estate, Mr. Vanderbilt’sBedroom highlights his attention to detail, suchas the gilded wallcovering and the decorativelocksets and sconces. While enjoying his luxurioussurroundings, Vanderbilt was also involved inphilanthropic endeavors including establishingAll Souls Church in Biltmore Village, the BiltmoreParish Day School, and the Young Men’s Institutefor Asheville’s African-American community.

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Second Floor

George Vanderbilt in family portrait




111 “Going to the Opera”

112 Mr. Vanderbilt’s Valet

113 Mr. Vanderbilt’s Spirituality

114 Sargent Portraits

OAK SITTING ROOM: Joining the family bedrooms is this paneledsitting area where the Vanderbilts may have had breakfast and where Edithplanned the day’s meals with the head housekeeper. The portraits by Sargentare of Mr. Vanderbilt’s aunt, Mrs. Benjamin Kissam (left), and his cousin,Mrs. Walter Rathbone Bacon (right).

MRS. VANDERBILT’S BEDROOM: After her parents died when shewas 10, Edith Stuyvesant Dresser and her three sisters were raised by theirgrandparents.When Edith was in her teens,her grandparents died; the Dressergirls eventually moved to Paris under the watchful eye of their governess,who became like a mother to them. After meeting on a transatlantic voyage,Edith and George fell in love and were married in 1898. At 25, Edith becamemistress of Biltmore and quickly became involved in estate life.

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Carved oak paneling and an intricate

plaster ceiling lend warmth to the Oak Sitting Room.

Purple and gold silk fabrics and furniture in the Louis XV style make

Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Bedroom a feminine retreat.




Thi rd Floor

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THIRD FLOOR LIVING HALL: Guests staying in nearby suites camehere to relax, listen to music, write letters, and unwind after dinner. TheVanderbilts’ visitors included diplomats, politicians, artists, and writers,who often celebrated special occasions while staying on the estate. JosephHodges Choate, Ambassador to England, was a guest at Biltmore’s 1902New Year’s party and wrote of the games, dancing, and revelry.

Proceed up the steps to your right.GUEST BATHROOM: One of Biltmore House’s 43 bathrooms—a rarity

in 1895 when many homes did not have a single indoor bathroom.

SOUTH TOWER ROOM: This circular room is decorated in a subduedneoclassical style. While staying at Biltmore, Larz Anderson wrote of thecomfortable rooms he and his wife Isabel enjoyed, his ten-mile hike over themountains, and how Isabel’s horse bolted with her during one afternoon ride.

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Turn left from Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Bedroom and take the stairs tothe Third Floor. Go down the steps to the left and continue downthe corridor.

Guest bedrooms on this level were named for their location, worksof art, or for artists whose works are displayed. Since house partiesduring the early 1900s lasted for days or weeks, families like theVanderbilts needed plenty of bedrooms for their guests.



RAPHAEL ROOM: Highly detailed engravings after the ItalianRenaissance artist Raphael Sanzio d’Urbino add interest to the room’sunderstated décor. Vanderbilt was an avid print collector who purchasedmore than 1,600 woodcuts, engravings, and etchings in his lifetime.

EARLOM ROOM: The room was named for the English painter andengraver Richard Earlom. A letter written by Ambassador Choate duringhis stay made note of getting dressed for dinner in his spacious room witha fine fireplace.

NORTH TOWER ROOM: This oval-shaped room mixes styles from thelate 18th and early 19th centuries. When staying at Biltmore, guests did nothave to worry about unpacking and packing their trunks.A ladies’maid wouldtake care of those tasks and make sure their clothes were ready for travel.

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115 Vanderbilt the Book Collector

Vanderbilt inherited the elaborate display

cabinets in the Third Floor Living Hall

from his father, William H. Vanderbilt.


The oval-shaped North Tower Room

features a printed sateenfabric on the walls

and furniture.



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Fourth FloorTurn left after exiting the North Tower Room, and take the woodenstaircase to the Fourth Floor. This floor contains bedrooms for femaledomestic staff and rooms used by George Vanderbilt and his guests.

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SERVANTS’ BEDROOMS: Housemaids, laundresses, and other femaleservants in Biltmore House lived on this floor in 21 rooms similar to thesethree bedrooms. Many of the women living here were used to sharing a bedin an unheated room, but at Biltmore they had comfortable, heated privaterooms with matching furniture. Most servants were allowed two hours offdaily but were still on call. They received one afternoon and one evening offper week, and a half day every other Sunday.

SERVANTS’ HALL: This centrally-located room provided maids a placeto relax and socialize when not on duty, as well as room for mendinghousehold textiles and their own uniforms. For nearly 20 years, housemaidsreported to Mrs. Emily King, the head housekeeper, who was responsible formaking sure the entire household ran perfectly.

ARCHITECTURAL MODEL ROOM: Richard Morris Hunt had thisarchitectural model of Biltmore House constructed in 1889 to showVanderbilt his proposal for the house. Each inch of the model representsfour feet of the actual house. The oak cabinet is original.

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OBSERVATORY: This two-story space offers magnificent views from itscentral vantage point. The circular staircase leads to a wrought iron balconywith doorways to rooftop balconies, with spectacular vistas and close-upviews of gargoyles, chimneys, and other architectural features on the exteriorof Biltmore House, which can be seen on the guided Rooftop Tour.

Return to the Architectural Model Room and turn left to exit. Before descending the stairs, note the detailed carvings at the top of thestaircase and ceiling medallion crowning the chandelier.

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Architectural model of Biltmore House, ca.1889.

116 Servants’ Hall Technology




Third FloorContinue your visit by descending the Grand Staircase to theThird Floor and turning right for another view of the Third FloorLiving Hall.

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WATSON ROOM: Named for the engraver James Watson, this is theonly guest room in Biltmore House with twin beds. A guest at Biltmore’s1895 opening was Vanderbilt’s 20-year-old niece, Gertrude, who wrote afriend about her visit. “It has been so delightful down here—so, so muchnicer than I thought it would be that I hate the idea of going home.”

VAN DYCK ROOM: This room features prints after paintings by the17th-century artist Anthony Van Dyck. American novelist Edith Whartonhad been a friend of Edith Vanderbilt since they were girls, and was a frequentguest at Biltmore.During her 1905 visit, she wrote a friend about the Christmasfête for 350 people on the estate featuring a 30-foot decorated tree.

MORLAND ROOM: Named for the English painter George Morland,this bedroom attracts attention with exotic Indian-style fabrics and Rococo-style furniture. The bed draperies are exact reproductions of hand-paintedoriginals from George and Edith Vanderbilt’s honeymoon villa in Stressa, Italy.

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MADONNA ROOM: The walls are hung with prints after famousRenaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child. A close friend ofVanderbilt’s, Paul Leicester Ford, wrote the historical novel Janice Meredithwhile staying at Biltmore. He dedicated the book to George Vanderbilt,saying in part “As I have read the proofs of this book I have found morethan once that the pages have faded out of sight and in their stead I haveseen Mount Pisgah…or the ramp and terrace of Biltmore House, just asI saw them when writing.”

Turn right after the Madonna Room and go down the staircase to theSecond Floor.

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Above: The Watson Room reflects a refined Neoclassical style accented with vivid fabric patterned with purple irises and multicolored flowers.

Left: In the Madonna Room, an engraving by Frederick Muller is after the painting “La Madonna di San Sisto” by Renaissance artist Raphael Sanzio.



Second FloorAfter descending the staircase, continue to the Damask Room.The four newly restored guest rooms on this floor are known as the Louis XV Suite.

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DAMASK ROOM: This room is the first in a suite comprising the mostgrand guest rooms in Biltmore House. The wallpaper and fabrics are exactreproductions of originals from Vanderbilt’s collection. Biltmore curatorsdiscovered small fragments of the original paper underneath door moldings,and were able to match these fragments to full-sized wallpaper samples instorage for more than a century.

CLAUDE ROOM: Named for the French painter Claude Lorrain, one ofVanderbilt’s favorite artists, whose prints are on the walls. Close friends andfamily stayed in these rooms when they visited, such as William O. B.“Willie”Field, Vanderbilt’s good friend who played a major role in his 1898 courtshipof Edith Dresser.

TYROLEAN CHIMNEY ROOM: Vanderbilt purchased the dramatichand-painted 18th-century Swiss porcelain tile chimney during his Europeantravels and asked Richard Morris Hunt to incorporate it into Biltmore House.

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LOUIS XV ROOM: Named for the French king who inspired thefurnishings, this room played a pivotal role in the lives of the Vanderbilts.George and Edith Vanderbilt’s only child, Cornelia, was born in here in 1900.In the 1920s, Cornelia gave birth to her two sons in this room. Ornate cutand uncut silk velvet wallcoverings were re-created in France as part of theroom’s restoration.

LOUIS XV HALLWAY: Cornelia Vanderbilt was a welcome addition tothe family and frequently traveled with her parents to Europe or their otherhomes. When at Biltmore, she studied and played with children of estateworkers, growing into an accomplished young woman.

Descend the short flight of stairs, turn right, and continue down the hall tothe Grand Staircase. Go down the staircase to the Entrance Hall.

GRAND STAIRCASE: Note the four-story iron chandelier thatilluminates the Grand Staircase. It is suspended from a single point tolight this impressive space.

At the base of the staircase, make an extreme right turn to continue to theBasement level.

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117 It’s a Boy 118 Child’s Play


Detail of Louis XV Room fabric Detail of Tyrolean Chimney porcelain



BasementAt the base of the Grand Staircase,turn right and go through the smalldoorway.Descend the steps and turn right to reach the stone hallway.

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STONE HALLWAY: In 1914, George Vanderbilt died from complicationsfrom an appendectomy, and Edith Vanderbilt assumed responsibility of runningthe estate and raising her young daughter. After a period of mourning, Edithand Cornelia began entertaining again, with the biggest celebration occurringin 1924 when Cornelia married the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil, aBritish diplomat.

HALLOWEEN ROOM: This unusual space was named for the wall scenespainted by Cornelia and John Cecil’s guests in 1925.

BOWLING ALLEY: Biltmore guests enjoyed one of the nation’s first bowlingalleys installed in a private residence.

DRESSING ROOMS: Guests changed into clothing suitable for recreationalactivities in these rooms.

SWIMMING POOL: The 70,000-gallon indoor pool was heated and stillhas its original underwater lighting.

GYMNASIUM: Contains what was once state-of-the-art fitness equipment.

Continue down the hallway. To your left is a stairway; it leads to a room originallynamed the Plant Store Room, and is located directly below the Winter Garden.

VEGETABLE PANTRY: Used to store fresh fruits and vegetables grown onthe estate.41

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119 Guastavino’s Tilework

120 Dogs in the Kitchen

121 The Menu Book

122 Birthday Cake


WALK-IN REFRIGERATORS: These provided an early form ofmechanical refrigeration.

SERVANTS’ BEDROOMS: Kitchen maids lived in these quarters.

PASTRY KITCHEN: The pastry chef used this kitchen to make elaboratedesserts and bread.

ROTISSERIE KITCHEN: Roasted meat, including wild game from theestate, was prepared here.

MAIN KITCHEN: The majority of prep work and cooking occurred hereunder direction of Biltmore’s chef; original copper pots hang above theworktable.

KITCHEN PANTRY: Dumbwaiters raised food to the Butler’s Pantry andfloors above.

SERVANTS’ DINING ROOM: Domestic staff ate in a dining room muchlike this one.

SERVICE ENTRANCE: Everything needed to run the house enteredthrough this door, from food to guests’ luggage.

WORK ROOMS: Originally part of the laundry, these spaces are now usedby Biltmore’s floral staff.

BROWN LAUNDRY: Fine hand-washable clothing and linen was launderedon wooden washboards and then pressed.

MAIN LAUNDRY and DRYING ROOM: The Main Laundry features abelt-driven barrel washer. Some laundry was dried indoors, draped over rollingracks in the Drying Room.

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The Main Kitchen is equipped to prepare any meal, with a full

array of copper cookware, knives, and choppers.



Main FloorPlease climb the stairs leading to the Bachelors’ Wing of the houseto continue your visit.

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SMOKING ROOM: Part of the Bachelors’Wing, male guests enjoyed after-dinner cigars,pipes, and brandy here.

GUN ROOM: Mr. Vanderbilt’s guestswould select guns from this room for theirhunting expeditions—a popular pastime on the estate.

BACHELORS’ WING HALLWAY:Portraits of Cornelia and John Cecil hang in this hallway. The Cecils opened BiltmoreHouse to the public in 1930 and theirgrandchildren continue to operate the estate today.

This completes your visit to Biltmore House.

Please exit down the hall and to your right.

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Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil



Your visit continues

Starting your audio tourYour audio tour covers all rooms open to the public in BiltmoreHouse. Refer to the floor plans and enter the correspondingnumber on your player's keypad to hear information about a room. The message automatically plays. • For instructions, enter “99” on your keypad.• Begin your audio tour by entering “1” for the introduction.

In-depth informationFor more on the Vanderbilt family, Biltmore's artwork, and life on the estate, lookfor the boxes and in this guide for the three-digit numbers of in-depth topics.Listen to as many topics as you wish in any order.

After leaving the house, turn left into the Stable Courtyard fordining, shopping, and restrooms.Refer to your Welcome to Biltmore guide for information on the Gardens,Winery, and River Bend Farm. The gardens and South Terrace are to yourleft when facing Biltmore House.

Discover all there is to do on the estate with our Guest Services staff, locatedin the Stable Hallway and Welcome Center.

AUDIO TOUR INSTRUCTIONS

NeckloopTelecoil Couplers

are available.

Cert no. SW-COC-002351

Biltmore • Asheville, North Carolina1-877-BILTMORE • biltmore.com©2009 The Biltmore CompanyThe names Biltmore, Inn on Biltmore Estate, and Biltmore For YourHome are trademarks of The Biltmore Company and its affiliates.


Now that you’veseen the house,

relax in our backyard.

Check your Welcome to Biltmoreguide to plan the rest of your visit today.

Don’t miss theWineryand River Bend FarmWith 8,000 acres and centuries of

history, the rest of Biltmore is just asfascinating as America’s largest home®.

The Winery and River Bend Farm offer wine tastings, shopping, delicious

dining, outdoor activities, and old-fashioned fun for all ages. Best of all, it’s included in your admission—so

don’t miss the rest of Biltmore!


guide to the biltmore house in north carolina

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