Historic Architecture Part of Scenery on Asheville Vacations
On Asheville vacations, it doesn’t take visitors long to realize that the city is a treasure when it comes to historic architecture.
Called the “Paris of the South” in the early 1900s, Asheville had a reputation early for being an artisan city where architecture talent could flourish.
The most famous building is the French chateau-inspired Biltmore House, constructed in the late 1800s for George Washington Vanderbilt and designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead. Visits to the Biltmore Estate, open year round to the public for tours, are where many Asheville vacations begin. But for anyone interested in architecture, they don’t have to end there.
Hunt’s supervising architect, Richard Sharp Smith, designed the manorial Biltmore village, easily recognized by the buildings made of brick, heavy timbers and a stone- based stucco called pebbledash. These buildings include All Souls Episcopal Church and Parish Hall, the Southern Railway Passenger Depot, and the Biltmore Estate office, as well as many other buildings now housing shops and galleries.
Many artisans and craftsmen from across the United States and Europe left their mark on Asheville working for Vanderbilt and on other projects. One of the most prominent examples is the Basilica of St. Lawrence, created by in the Spanish Renaissance style by the Spanish-born architect Rafael Guastavino, who came to work on the Biltmore House but is well-known locally for the basilica and its self-supporting elliptical dome, believed to be the largest in North America.
Tourists on Asheville vacations often include the Montford and Chestnut Hill historic districts on their itineraries. Victorian and Queen Anne architectural styles are dominant in these neighborhoods, largely designed by Smith.
Asheville architecture also represents The Arts and Crafts movement prominently. The smallest examplesfeaturing large open porches, local materials and handcraftsmanship typical of the movementare bungalows throughout the city. The largest is the massive Grove Park Inn, visited by many travelers on Asheville vacations, completed in 1913 by E.R. Grove and built of huge boulders and roofed in burnt-orange tile.
Grove was also behind the Grove Arcade, designed by architect Charles N. Parker and built in the Neo-Tudor style with Gothic detail. The building now thrives with a diversity of shops and restaurants, making it a memorable part of many Asheville vacations.
Architect Douglas Ellington created the building that has become the icon of Asheville, the art deco City Hall. He also designed the must-see Asheville High School, the First Baptist Church, and the S&W Cafeteria.
Architecture enthusiasts on Asheville vacations will be interested in researching and seeing all of the more than 65 buildings downtown dating to the 1920s including the Jackson Building, the Kress Building and the Flatiron Building.
In short, Asheville has an unmatched diversity of historical architecture styles, not only downtown but also in its surrounding neighborhoodsmaking Asheville vacations all the more special for anyone who is interested in architecture.
