The Building of the Estate:
The official building of the home began in 1889. George decided to name the estate “Bildt” after the Dutch town his ancestors emigrated from and “more” meaning rolling land from old English language. Vanderbilt knew he couldn’t do this job on his own, so he enlisted the help of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Richard Morris Hunt. However, it was going to take more than just these three men to get this house built, meaning hundreds of local workers were hired to get the house done. This would not be the only time the Biltmore Estate would help the local economy. George also wanted this Estate to be more than just home. He had plans not only for the mansion on the land, but also farms, gardens, and timber lots to help create a profitable business (Carley & Rennicke, 2000).
George knew exactly what he wanted the house to look like, he gathered his inspiration for the look of the house from his travels to France and the chateaux he had seen there and hired special sculptors, artists and architects from around the world to help him achieve his goal. Though Vanderbilt wanted the house to look like an old French masterpiece, the inside was to be a technological innovation of the time. The house was to be built with central heating, fire alarms, refrigeration, electricity, and plumbing. The Estate required so many materials to be transported on cite, that a private railway stretching three miles was put between the depot and the home. But alas it was completed and was the perfect place for George to display his treasured pieces of art and expansive libraries. The Biltmore wasn’t the only home Vanderbilt owned, but he was very much involved in every piece of the estate’s production (Carley & Rennicke, 2000).