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The Biltmore |
 The last great project that
Olmsted was involved with was the laying out of George Vanderbilt's 120,000 acre Biltmore
Estate near Asheville North Carolina.
Unlike many of the public entities that Olmsted had done work for, Vanderbilt had the
resources to carry out all of Olmsted's plans. Vanderbilt wanted an English manner style
estate.
Olmsted was not willing to plan this out. He stated that the land would be better suited
to have a grand garden area close to the house, and have the majestic views beyond it with
80,000 acres of the land being turned into a grand Forest, which became the basis for the
Pisgah National Forest. Olmsted also designed and built a 9 mile arboretum that wound from
the house to the French Broad river and back up to the house.
 Olmsted chose a variety of vegetation to fill the area with. It was
a much celebrated set up and won him praise from many horticulturists.
 The final touch that Olmsted added was a lake, called Bass Pond. He
added two islands in the lake to add to the scenic value. It also added a private place,
which pleased Vanderbilt. |
For more information:
The Biltmore |
Bryan, John M. Biltmore
Estate : The Most Distinguished Private Place. New York: Rizzoli, 1994. |
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