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George Washington Vanderbilt II (November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914) was an American art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, which amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises.
George W. Vanderbilt was a patron of the arts, an early adopter of new technology, and a collector of rare and beautiful objets d’art.
Biltmore House (or Biltmore Mansion), the main residence, is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895 and is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 sq ft (16,622.8 m 2) of floor space and 135,280 sq ft (12,568 m 2) of living area.
George Washington Vanderbilt II (November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914) was an art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, which had amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He built and owned Biltmore, the largest home in the United States.
George Washington Vanderbilt is best remembered for building the largest private house in the United States—the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. Spread over 178,926 square feet of floor space, the house was ranked eighth in America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.
In the late 19 th century, George W. Vanderbilt II opened a mansion on the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina. Called Biltmore, it was the largest home to ever be built in America, and a wonder of Gilded Age architecture.
What was George Vanderbilt II’s vision for building Biltmore, and how does the legacy continue to live on today? Find out in our timeline.
