The Historic Cottage District in Biltmore Village is the largest surviving group of cottages that were constructed by George Vanderbilt for single family housing in Biltmore Village. The Cottage District follows Richard Hunt’s and Frederick Olmsted’s concept in terms of layout and design, upon which Richard Smith tastefully expanded.
In 1921, after fire had broken out twice in the Clarence Barker Memorial Hospital in Biltmore Village, Edith Vanderbilt gave 15 acres to build a new Biltmore Hospital using fireproof materials. Between 1923 and 1928, many fundraisers were held to help with the financing of the new hospital, which Douglas Ellington was commissioned to architect in 1929.
The Historic Clarence Barker Memorial Hospital opened in 1900 with space for only 10 patients, and was fully paid for by George Vanderbilt. By 1905, a six-room south wing extension with an operating room was completed. Two fires in January and March of 1921 almost entirely destroyed the hospital.
During the post Vanderbilt-era in the 1920s, the Historic Biltmore Hardware Building was part of a broader trend toward more extensive commercial development in the village. It is now considered one of the three most significant architectural landmarks in Biltmore Village from that time period.
The Historic McGeachy Building was designed by local architect Ronald Greene as a two story commercial structure to house shops and a larger meeting area on the second floor. It was completed in 1928 and exemplifies the architectural design during Asheville’s prosperous boom period of the 1920s.
Following the general architectural theme in Biltmore Village, the small Historic Biltmore Village Shoe Store is an early commercial structure, which due to its symmetrical location to the Historic Biltmore Village Post Office may closely reflect the original town plan of Frederic Law Olmsted.
The Historic Biltmore Estate Office was one of only four structures in the area designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the architect of Biltmore Estate. It was one of the first buildings to be completed in 1895 and included many of the architectural elements, which can be found in all of the buildings constructed during the Vanderbilt-era.
The Cathedral of All Souls is a wonderful historical church with a unique story of support and care through the booms and busts of the region’s turbulent last 100 years. Richard Morris Hunt, the architect of the famous Biltmore Estate, has architected only six churches throughout his career. The Cathedral of All Souls is the only church still remaining.
The Historic Southern Railway Depot is a simple, unimpressive, functional building designed by Richard Hunt, the architect of the Biltmore House. But its location made all the difference. Leaving the station, visitors arriving by train had direct line of sight of The Cathedral of All Souls. If they turned west and followed Lodge Street to the end, they would arrive at the monumental entrance to the Biltmore Estate.
