The Biltmore Company
Encyclopedia
The Biltmore Company in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...

, owns and operates 8,000 acres (32 km²) of land and business. In 1999, the company formed a new business group, the Biltmore Estate Brands Group.

Currently, the Biltmore Estate home furnishings licensees include: Carolina Mirror, Directional Publishing, As You Like It, Craftique, Imperial Home Decor Group, Oriental Accent, Southern Living House Plans, Tai Ping, Paragon Picture Gallery and Sadek Import Company, NDI, Kravet Fabrics, Great City Traders, Keller Charles Inc., Manual Woodworkers and Weavers, and Executive Kitchens, Inc.

The Biltmore Company, owned by the family of William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil
William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil
William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil is the younger son of John Francis Amherst Cecil and Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt . He is an operator of the Biltmore Estate through his company, The Biltmore Company. Cecil is a graduate of Harvard University...

, includes Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore House is a Châteauesque-styled mansion near Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately-owned home in the United States, at and featuring 250 rooms...

, Biltmore Estate Wine Company, and Biltmore Estate Reproductions. In 2001, the Inn on Biltmore Estate opened on the estate, and currently has 210 guest rooms. It is rated four stars by Mobil
Mobil
Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...

 Travel Guide and four diamonds by AAA
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...

.

The Biltmore Company traces its origins back to 1895 when George Vanderbilt first opened the Vanderbilt Estate. This six year project was a grand production, soliciting the help of world famous landscaper Frederick Law Olmstead to design the grounds. . The Biltmore Company is and always has been family owned and operated, with a goal of supporting and maintain the estate and various industries affiliated with the estate. In 1889 George Vanderbilt and wife Edith Vanderbilt expanded the Biltmore Company by purchasing a nearby town, renamed Biltmore Village. This is where employees of the estate resided. Additionally, the couple created and funded the Biltmore Estate Industries which developed a system of teaching traditional craft making. However, after George’s death both Biltmore Village and Biltmore Estate Industries were sold in efforts to keep focus on the Estate itself. . George and Edith Vanderbilt were extremely environmentally conscious and sold over 86,000 acres of the surrounding land to the government to build the Pisgah National Forest. The Biltmore Company still values the importance of forest preservation and utilizes techniques to ensure preservation of the soil, water, wildlife and forest of the area. .

Today, the Biltmore Company is still run by the descendants of George Vanderbilt; the President and CEO is currently William Cecil. . The Biltmore Company employs over 1,200 people that maintain the 8,000 acres of the Biltmore Estate, hotel, winery, restaurants and shops. . The Biltmore Company prides itself on the unique principle that it is the largest privately owned home in the United States. It plays host to more than one million guests per year and the Biltmore Company functions solely through private funding. .

Address: 1 North Pack Square Asheville, North Carolina 28801.
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