George Vanderbilt, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Richard Morris Hunt, as well as their representatives, insisted on the highest quality building materials.
Materials were shipped great distances, even internationally, to Asheville. For example, the limestone on the façade was quarried in Oolitic, Indiana, while some of the marble used in the interiors was sourced from Europe. Other supplies were produced on the estate: a brick works manufactured bricks and tiles and a quarry provided stone for the foundation.
Both local and imported materials arrived by train to Biltmore Village before being diverted to a standard gauge rail spur ending at the construction site. Upon arrival, laborers stored them in storage sheds on the Esplanade until needed.
Biltmore House by the Numbers
9,973,638 pounds of Indiana limestone
132,000 board feet of white and red oak
16.5-inch-thick exterior walls
74 exterior doors
704 windows
38,000 bricks produced on-site daily
The iconic Biltmore House lion sculptures, crafted from Rosso di’Verona marble, await installation. March 1894.
Visible through this third floor window above the Porte Cochère are the brick walls and iron joists, which provided structure for Biltmore House, faced with decorative limestone veneer. ca. 1893.
Construction proceeds on the structural interiors surrounding the Winter Garden of Biltmore House, as viewed from the Tapestry Gallery through the Entance Hall arches. 1893.
Construction nears completion on the east façade of Biltmore House with workshops on the front lawn, known as the Esplanade, in the foreground. July 1894.
