America’s largest privately-owned estate, the iconic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, has been abruptly shut down following extensive flooding and building damage caused by Hurricane Helene. The 8,000-acre property, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, features 175,000 square feet of space with 250 rooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, and 22 miles of walking trails. The estate is a popular tourist destination known for its gardens, outdoor activities, tours, exhibitions, and restaurants.
The Biltmore Estate announced its temporary closure on social media, citing significant wind, flooding, and building damage in low-lying areas such as the farm and entrance. Fortunately, the conservatory, winery, gardens, and hotels suffered minimal damage. Crews are currently working to clear roads and begin repairs on the property, which has been severely impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene has caused great devastation across the Southeast, claiming at least 223 lives and leaving numerous people missing since it made landfall in Florida on September 26. In western North Carolina, including Asheville and surrounding Buncombe County, homes have been uprooted, vehicles submerged, and roads destroyed by the storm’s floods and winds. Thousands of trees have been toppled, train tracks discarded on river beds, and school buses blown away.
The Biltmore Estate, built by George Vanderbilt during the Gilded Age in 1895, holds historical significance as the largest private estate in America. Vanderbilt, a descendant of industrialist Cornelius Vanderbilt, made his family wealthy through shipping and railroad monopolies in the mid-1800s. The closure of the Biltmore Estate underscores the widespread destruction and loss caused by Hurricane Helene in the region.
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