Biltmore Timeline 1862 George Washington Vanderbilt is born in New Dorp, Staten Island, New York, on November 18. 1885 George’s father, William Henry Vanderbilt, passes away. 1888 George Vanderbilt travels to Asheville, North Carolina, with his mother. He falls in love with the area and begins purchasing land for his grand estate. 1889 Ground breaks on the construction project that will be Biltmore House, George’s new home. 1895 Biltmore House is complete! George celebrates and shows off his new home to family and friends with a formal holiday party on Christmas Eve. 1896 Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt, George’s mother, passes away. 1898 George falls in love with Edith Stuyvesant Dresser and proposes. They marry on June 1 in Paris, France. 1900 Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt is born on August 22 at Biltmore House. She is George and Edith Vanderbilt’s only child. 1914 George Vanderbilt dies unexpectedly in Washington, DC, on March 6 due to complications following an appendectomy. 1915 Edith Vanderbilt begins consolidating her husband’s estate. She enters negotiations with the federal government and sells 87,000 acres. This transaction creates the heart of Pisgah National Forest. 1920 Edith sells 1,500 acres from the estate. This land is developed into the prestigious residential park known as Biltmore Forest. 1921 Edith sells Biltmore Village. 1924 Cornelia Vanderbilt marries the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil at All Souls Church in Biltmore Village. 1925 Cornelia gives birth to son George Henry Vanderbilt at Biltmore House. Edith Vanderbilt marries for a second time to U.S. Senator Peter G. Gerry. 1928 Cornelia’s second son, William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil, is born at Biltmore House. 1930 Cornelia and John Cecil open Biltmore House to the public for the first time in history. Admission is $2. 1942 Biltmore House closes temporarily because of World War II. The National Gallery in Washington, DC, sends some of the nation’s art treasures to Biltmore House for safekeeping during the war. 1954 John Francis Amherst Cecil passes away. 1960 William A.V. Cecil returns to Asheville to manage the family estate. 1963 Biltmore is named a National Historic Landmark. 1976 Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil passes away. Biltmore House’s Music Room is completed and opens to the public as part of the House tour. 1979 Biltmore’s Deerpark Restaurant opens. 1980 Biltmore House’s basement becomes part of the house tour and is open to the public. 1985 Biltmore Winery opens and Biltmore begins Candlelight Christmas Evenings. 1987 The Stable complex next to Biltmore House opens. Work begins on the conservation of Biltmore House’s tapestries. 1989 Conservation and restoration work begins on the Third Floor of Biltmore House. 1990 Biltmore introduces the popular Behind-the-Scenes Tour at Biltmore House. Mrs. Vanderbilt’s room is restored. Repair work begins on the Bass Pond flume system. 1992 The Italian Garden and the fountains in front of Biltmore House are restored. Biltmore Estate Reproductions, the forerunner of Biltmore For Your Home, begins. 1993 Four gift shops open on the estate: Bookbinder’s, Confectionary, Toymaker’s, and Gate House. 1995 Biltmore House celebrates its 100th anniversary. The Welcome Center, Ice Cream Parlor, A Gardener’s Place, and Bistro open. Renovation and expansion work is completed on the Stable Café. The newly restored Tower Rooms in Biltmore House are revealed to the public. Biltmore plants a Kitchen Garden to supply fresh produce to the restaurants. 1996 Biltmore serves as one of the sites for the Prince of Wales’ Summer School of Architecture. 1999 The newly renovated Conservatory and A Gardener’s Place open. Ground breaks on the construction of the Inn on Biltmore Estate. The Artists’ Suite opens in Biltmore House. 2001 The Inn on Biltmore Estate opens. The outdoor program Explore Biltmore Estate begins offering outdoor activities to estate and Inn guests. 2002 Biltmore House’s Third Floor Living Hall opens to the public. 2005 Rooms on Biltmore House’s Fourth Floor, including servants’ rooms, the Observatory, and Architectural Model Room, open to the public. 2006 The Cottage on Biltmore Estate opens to overnight guests. 2009 A suite of rooms called The Louis XV Suite opens in Biltmore House after an extensive restoration project conducted by Biltmore’s Museum Services team. These rooms were perhaps the most grand guest rooms during the time the Vanderbilts lived in the House. The Louis XV Room was the site where Cornelia Vanderbilt was born, and also the site where Cornelia had her two sons, William and George. 2010 Antler Hill Village opens. It includes Antler Hill Farm, The Biltmore Legacy, Village Green and Bandstand, Outdoor Adventure Center, Cedric’s Tavern, Creamery, and Traditions. Updates to the Winery were made as part of the Village project. .