324 Vanderbilt RoadBiltmore Forest Asheville, N C

The original Gunston Hall (1755-1759) is located in Mason Neck, VA. The man-sion was built for George Mason IV by William Buckland and William Bernard Sears and stands as a testament to Georgian architecture.

George Mason IV

A Piece of History324 Vanderbilt Road is on the National Register of Historic Places as a remarkable replica of Gunston Hall in Virginia. Gunston Hall was once the center of a 5,500-acre tobacco and corn plantation owned by George Mason IV. As author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, Mason was among the first to call for such fundamental American liberties as religious toleration and freedom of the press.

Stroll the Registered Smithsonian American GardenTake a lengthy, soulful meander on your eleven acre sanctuary and drink in the remarkable gar-dens registered as a Smithsonian American Garden. The majestic grounds also include a green house, a caretakers house, a garden house and garden follies. From your tree lined backyard Busbee Mountain is visible in the distance.

A Grand Lawn leads from the rear of the house to the gardens.

Craftsmanship AboundsThe carved woodwork, built-in cabinets, decorative plaster features and wood moldings heighten the sense of history in these large rooms. The Georgian Colonial homes are known for being stately and symmetrical and this residence is no exception, resulting in a sense of elegance and richness. The current owners spent a significant amount of time carefully restoring the intricate moldings and details of the home.

Dining RoomThe dining room features electric sconces and a candlelit chandelier creating a warm and ambient glow. The depth and finish of the molding and trim work reflects exceptional wood cutting mastery.

Kitchen & Breakfast RoomThe kitchen will entice you to host dinner parties for friends and family. This space was remodeled with a nod to history. Granite counter tops and modern appliances are paired with custom cabinets to include architectural details from the period.

The LibraryCozy up with a novel from the built-in shelves of the wood encased library. The superb carved wood moldings are enhanced by morning and afternoon light. This room could serve as both an intimate gather place or a festive entertaining location.

The Master Suite & Sitting RoomAn opulent space to retreat from the world when you have a home full of guests. The master suite includes two rooms, each with a fireplace, two baths, two walk-in closets and a dressing room with additional closet space. Adjoining the master is the sun room which would make an excellent master retreat.

Guest BedroomsThree additional bedrooms provide enough space for a growing family or lots of out-of-town visitors. Each bedroom has plenty of closet space and a wood burning fireplace. In addition there is a former maids quarters which would make a great office or playroom area. There are large attics on either wing offering excellent storage space.

A rendering of 324 Vanderbilt Road one of the six original homes

built in Biltmore Forest.

The New Gunston Hall HistoryThe New Gunston Hall was built for Dr. William Beverly Mason of Washington, D.C. Construction began in 1920 and was completed in 1923. For design, Dr. Mason turned to the well-known Wash-ington architect, Waddy B. Woods.Dr. Mason was a fourth removed relative of George Mason, who wrote the Constitution of Virginia, and was a major contributor of the U.S. Constitution. George Mason’s home, Gunston Hall, is located near Lorton, VA about ten miles from Mount Vernon.Dr. Mason came to Asheville at the invitation of the Vanderbilt family to build one of the first homes in Bilt-more Forest. Today at the town hall you can see a thin green book about 9” x 11” showing six homes and the Biltmore clubhouse. The New Gunston Hall is the first home in the book. Dr. Mason used The New Gunston Hall as a summer home from 1923 to approximately 1935. During this time they maintained a staff of three full-time employees. We were able to visit with Mr. & Mrs. Beverly Mason at Upperville, VA the last living son of Dr. Mason. During this visit, Mr. Mason showed us the original guest book which has The New Gunston Hall engraved on the cover. The front gates are reported to be the original gates from the original Gunston Hall. Around 1935 the home was rented for one summer to Robert W. Woodruff, then president of the Coca-Cola Company. We spoke to one man that delivered many cases of Coca-Cola to The New Gunston Hall for the use of his guests that summer. The next owners were Mr. & Mrs. Dennis. Mrs. Dennis was a landscape architect for The Tennessee Valley Authority. Mrs. Dennis was responsible for the design and development of the gar-dens. She built the caretakers house and greenhouse on the north side of the property. The third owner was Dr. C. Ray Franklin and Mrs. Ruth Franklin. Dr. Franklin was an authority on early American antiques. His collection was sold at Sotheby’s for about two million dollars. The Franklins bought the home in 1977. Mrs. Ruth Franklin sold the home to Norma Jean and Robert D. Schaub on January 29, 1987.For the next fourteen months, we employed a crew of twelve working seven days per week excluding Christmas Day. Every inch of the home was stripped down to the base wood or plaster with every element being restored to the original style. Several of the workers were retired craftsmen and specialists in their various fields. When they understood our vision and desire to restore the home, they were very helpful in

suggesting where certain mill work or hardware might be found. They also recommended the best methods for cleaning off the old paint from wood surfaces. They personally took ownership of the project and felt very protective about having well-qualified craftsman con-tinuing the project.This house was built with the intent that it would be used as summer house three to four months of the year. Therefore, only the four center rooms were completely finished. The rest of the house was left in a plain and simple style. During the early part of the restoration, we had a visit from the curator of Gunston Hall in Lorton, VA. She was very helpful with suggestions on chair rails, moldings and paint colors from the original house. All the colors upstairs are the same selections used on the second floor of the original Gunston Hall.The reception room and dining room were originally covered in a type of artist’s canvas. We had to replace this due to the condition. The origi-nal covering was used for three reasons: to cov-er up bad plaster work, to give a smooth even texture and to show you could afford it. In the reception room on the East wall is a plastic cover over the signatures of the painters and wallpaper hangers. They signed this on February 16, 1923. We stripped down the old canvas covering in this room on February 16, 1987. In these same two rooms are a total of some 300 ro-settes. One of the people working here was a re-tired dentist and cabinet maker, Dr. Carl Mundy. Don Smith a master plasterer removed the old rosettes and with Dr. Mundy’s help selected a half doz-en. These were cleaned with dental tools, new rubber molds were made and 300 new rosettes were cast. So, all the rosettes you see were new in 1987.The dining room is lighted with candles for dinner par-ties at night. The candles come from the Lutheran sup-ply house in Atlanta, GA, and will burn for eight hours when used with the Pyrex followers.The kitchen was designed by Norma Jean with the help of Cooper House cabinets. All the cabinets are solid wood. The counter tops are one and one-half inch solid granite from the Stone Mountain area of Georgia.In the fall of 1991, the house was officially accepted by the Department of Interior for listing on “The National Registry of Historical Places.” This is one of a few hous-es in the country that is a copy of a great house built by a member of the same family.We hope you have enjoyed your visit to The New Gun-ston Hall.

Norma Jean and Bob Schaub

The Survey

An original, uniquely desired, a town, a way of life. Born of Biltmore Estate land in 1923, Biltmore Forest is the embodi-ment of the ideals and concept espoused by George Vanderbilt’s widow Edith. It was she who backed the founding of the membership Biltmore Forest Country Club and with the help of advisors, created a town crisscrossed by serpen-tine streets through old growth forest.

It is here that residents enjoy so many amenities, parks, a bass pond, the town hall, a town government overseeing public works and their own quick response police force. Ultra low density of just over 600 homes on about 1500 acres provides the utmost in privacy while its location places it within minutes of Asheville’s finest amenities.

Within its boundaries are the highly ranked Pre K-12th grade Carolina Day School. The membership Biltmore Forest Country Club offers golf, tennis, an elaborate fitness facility with instructors, casual and fine dining and social activities.

Biltmore Village is less than 5 minutes away with fine dining, William Sonoma, Talbots, New Morning Gallery, Garden-ers Cottage, Joseph Banks, Chicos, J. Crew, Coldwater Creek , Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and a plethora of won-derful local restaurants and shops.

Vibrant downtown Asheville is 10 minutes away with its galleries, dining, and performing arts and fascinating Art Deco architecture. Nationally ranked Mission Hospitals is less than 8 minutes. The world renowned Grove Park Inn and Spa is 15 minutes. On its very borders are the Blue Ridge Parkway and the fabled Biltmore Estate as well as convenient I -40.

Travel to the entertainment and retail hub of south Ashe-ville in about 5 minutes where you will find the new shops of Town Square at Biltmore Park with REI and PF Changs, the Reuter YMCA and a host of others to be announced.

Looking for a barista? Two Starbucks are on its fringes. A 14-plex movie theater is within 5 minutes and the area is served by Ingles, Harris Teeter and Earth Fare grocery stores. Yet walk its roads and you could be in a forest with houses sprinkled here and there. In short it is a place of ultimate peace and tranquility with 21st century urban ac-cess within immediate reach. New urbanist access with low density privacy – rare indeed.

Biltmore Forest

North Carolina

How far is it to?

• Asheville/Hendersonville Airport 15 minutes• Downtown Asheville 15 to 20 minutes• Skiing - Wolf Laurel 45 minutes• Rafting the French Broad River 15 minutes• Mountain biking the Arboretum 15 minutes

• Asheville Racquet Club (indoor/outdoor) 5 minutes• Charlotte 2 hours• Atlanta 3 hours• Charleston/beaches 4 hours

A brief history of the membership Biltmore Forest Country Club

From the earliest days of the Roaring Twenties, Biltmore Forest Country Club has played a significant role in the distinguished social history of Asheville and the Carolinas. Its reputation extends to the premier country clubs of the South.

Mrs. Edith Vanderbilt, widow of George W. Vanderbilt, was instrumental in acquiring the land for the town of Biltmore Forest from the Biltmore Estate in 1920. Included was a site for a country club. She made plans with a group of leading citizens, including Junius G. Adams, Burnham S. Colburn, Thomas W. Raoul and William Knight, all of whom were Charter members.

Once the town was laid out and the first houses were under construction, Donald Ross was retained to design the golf course, Edward L. Palmer of Baltimore was given the architectural commission for the clubhouse and Chauncey D. Beadle of the Biltmore Estate was chosen as landscape architect.

Construction began the following year. Miss Cornelia Vanderbilt, the owner, advanced funds for furniture and equipment. An organizational meeting for the board of governors was held on June 8, 1922. The official open-ing ceremonies were held on the Fourth of July, 1922 as part of a gala celebration.

In the years between the world wars, Biltmore Forest Country Club’s magnificent setting and superb views attracted many world famous leaders such as Bobby Jones, Bill Tilden, General “Black Jack” Pershing, John D. Rockefeller, William Jennings Bryan, William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Queen Juliana of Holland, and New York Governor, Al Smith.

In 1940, the club executed a 10-year lease with the Biltmore Company at $10,000 per year, with the option to buy the club for $200,000. In 1948, the club exercised the option and issued $175,000 in 30 year 5% bonds to the Biltmore Company thereby becoming a member-owned, private club.

The club has undergone many changes and renovations over the years with the most recent being a 2.5 mil-lion dollar restoration of the golf course and an 8.5 million dollar restoration of the clubhouse. Both projects had as their mission to restore the club’s facilities back to its original 1922 splendor.

Biltmore Forest Country Club continues to be a by-invitation, member-owned, private club. It has achieved Platinum status placing it among the top 10% of all private clubs in North America. The staff and membership are proud to be part of Biltmore’s history and fine traditions.

Ann Skoglundcell: (828) 273-0277

annskog@beverly-hanks.com