How did the Biltmore Estate get its name?

Question

The Vanderbilts were primarily present here. I wonder where the Biltmore comes from.

Answer 1

In the 1880s, at the height of the Gilded Age, George Washington Vanderbilt II, a son of William Henry Vanderbilt, began to make regular visits with his mother to the Asheville area. He loved the scenery and climate so much that he decided to create his own winter estate in the area, as his older brothers and sisters had built opulent summer houses in places such as Newport, Rhode Island and Hyde Park, New York.

Vanderbilt's idea was to replicate the working estates of Europe. 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 (which still operates). 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 utter beauty of Vanderbilt's mountainous grounds.

Vanderbilt paid little attention to the family business or his own investments, and the construction and upkeep of Biltmore depleted much of his inheritance. After Vanderbilt died of complications from an appendectomy in 1914, his widow sold much of the original 125,000 acres (506 km²) to the federal government to become Pisgah National Forest. The estate includes approximately 8,000 acres today. It is still owned by The Biltmore Company, controlled by Vanderbilt's grandson, William A.V. Cecil. In 1963, it 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 at the indoor pool, bowling alley, exercise equipment, library, and other rooms filled with art works, furniture, and novelties such as electricity, elevators and an intercom system. It remains a major tourist attraction in western North Carolina, with over 900,000 visitors each year.

Answer 2

George Vanderbilt named Biltmore Estate by combining two words: "Bildt," the region in Holland ... includes the estate, the Inn on Biltmore Estate, and Biltmore Estate Wine Company ...

Answer 3

George Vanderbilt Family Tree

Answer 4

Have you visited? The history is there. I am not a history "buff" but the relationship in the families is that Vanderbilt is Dutch...I recall the coat d'arms (both are Dutch?)...and both built an empire in the golden days (railroad) and the Vanderbilts had a beautiful vacation home on Jekell Island, that is now a hotel. I don't immediately recall a marriage between. I know that both valued the arts and Sargent, Renoir, etc...they patroned artist as an expectation of their heritage. And the architectural heritage they brought is unique to the US in that they were wealthy enough to immulated their European descendants and intended to build castles.....For a princess perhaps? Plenty of history on line I'm sure. Haven't even thought to look. : )

Answer 5

"He (George W. Vanderbilt) called his estate 'Biltmore' - from Bildt, the Dutch town where his ancestors originated, and 'more', an old English word for open, rolling land."

Answer 6

You can go to the biltmore website. They proabaly have the answer...a play on the name Vanderbilt?????????

Answer 7

Vanderbilt created the estate name by combining two words, "Bildt," for the region in Holland where the Vanderbilt family originated, and "more," an old English word meaning upland rolling hills.

Answer 8

Bilt was a town in Holland and more stands for mountian

Answer 9

www.biltmore.com/special/pdfs/4thGradeBHWorkbook.pdf