The Biltmore Estate is located in Asheville, North Carolina. It is the largest privately owned house in the United States. It belonged to George Washington Vanderbilt and his family. The house was designed by Richard Morris Hunt. Frederick Law Olmsted designed the landscape. The Biltmore Estate played a major role in the development of the era's creative architecture and is well known for being the largest house in America. The Biltmore Estate was built between 1889 and 1895. It cost approximately $10,000,000 to build. The Biltmore Estate was built on 125,000 acres of land. It had a total of 250 rooms. These rooms include a swimming pool and bowling alley. In the Biltmore estate, there are 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. The house itself covers 4 acres of land. The house has amenities such as electric lighting, telephones and an elevator. The Vanderbilts were an extremely wealthy family of the time. George W. Vanderbilt grew up in one of the wealthiest families in the United States. George Washington Vanderbilt was born in 1862. He was one of eight children. He attended Columbia University at the age of sixteen. He originally purchased the land for his mother, who was often ill. He never intended for the house to be open to the public. Frederick Law Olmsted was the principal architect of the Biltmore estate. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1822. He was also the designer of Stanford University, the U.S. Capitol grounds, Central Park, and the Niagara Falls State Reservation. Olmsted didn't go to college. In 1895, he suffered a nervous breakdown and spent the rest of his life in an asylum in Waverly, Massachusetts. Olmsted died in August 1903. The Biltmore estate was the last project he completed. He...... middle of paper ......bGl2ZQ==This website is about Olmstead. He recounts his life before the construction of the Biltmore. I learned that Olmstead created many masterpieces that rival European estates. Olmstead's career was nearing its end when he built the Biltmore. Wernick, Robert. “This is the house that many Jacks built.” EBSCO host. No. Internet. October 25, 2013. This website describes the Biltmore as a turn-of-the-century pleasure dome for the Vanderbilts, which now thrives on giving tourists a great day out for their money. It tells how George Washington Vanderbilt conceived the idea for his luxurious residence, details regarding the construction of the mansion; Restoration efforts in recent years; Who owns and manages the domain today.