Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, centers on the immense Biltmore House, built for George Washington Vanderbilt II from 1889 to 1895 and recognized as the largest privately owned house in the United States. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt in a French Renaissance-inspired style, it was the centerpiece of a vast estate assembled from 125,000 acres. After Vanderbilt’s death, much of the land was sold to the federal government, helping form Pisgah National Forest. Opened to the public in 1930, the house later served as a safe repository for National Gallery of Art masterpieces during World War II. Still family-owned, it remains a major historic attraction.