The Modern Family and Growing of Biltmore:
A modern painting of the Cecil family.
The Cecil family kept the estate as a family residence until 1958 and in 1960, William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil left a high profile banking job in New York to join George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil in the running of Biltmore. The two grandsons of George Washington Vanderbilt had inherited the estate and were ready to continue the legacy of splendor and self-sufficiency. Under William’s control, the house opened even more rooms for the public to view and remodeled the dairy barn, the dairy business had become separate from the estate itself, and turned into Biltmore’s very own winery (Carley & Rennicke, 2000).
However, When William Cecil came to manage Biltmore in 1960; the estate was losing around two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. Inside the home was not in the best shape. Many of the furnishings and wall hangings needed to be restored. Cecil started small and began running ads in the local newspapers. By 1968 he had the Biltmore gaining, though it was minute, instead of losing money for the first time in several years (Grizzle, 2005).
Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt died in 1958, followed by Cornelia in 1976. William A.V. Cecil, George Washington Vanderbilt’s grandson, retired from CEO of Biltmore in 1995 and his son William A.V. Cecil took over to become the current CEO and president. Keeping it in the family as usual, Cecil’s daughter Diana Cecil Pickering, serves on the Board of Directors as the Chairman (Carley & Rennicke, 2000) (Grizzle, 2005).
However, When William Cecil came to manage Biltmore in 1960; the estate was losing around two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. Inside the home was not in the best shape. Many of the furnishings and wall hangings needed to be restored. Cecil started small and began running ads in the local newspapers. By 1968 he had the Biltmore gaining, though it was minute, instead of losing money for the first time in several years (Grizzle, 2005).
Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt died in 1958, followed by Cornelia in 1976. William A.V. Cecil, George Washington Vanderbilt’s grandson, retired from CEO of Biltmore in 1995 and his son William A.V. Cecil took over to become the current CEO and president. Keeping it in the family as usual, Cecil’s daughter Diana Cecil Pickering, serves on the Board of Directors as the Chairman (Carley & Rennicke, 2000) (Grizzle, 2005).