America's largest home is a Gilded Age mansion that goes all out for Christmas. Take a look at Biltmore Estate's holiday decorations.

Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? . George Vanderbilt's Biltmore House was completed in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1895. The 175,000-square-foot home, now open to the public, is the largest private residence in the US. Its holiday display includes 36 interior Christmas trees and 75 others around the 8,000-acre estate. On Christmas Eve 1895, George Vanderbilt welcomed family and friends to his new home for the first time. What they saw no doubt astounded them, even by the wealthiest echelon's standards of the era. The Gilded Age heir - a grandson of one of the richest men in US history - had built a 175,000-square-foot, 250-room French Renaissance Revival-style mansion that was a marvel of modern innovation, with 35 bedrooms, dozens of bathrooms with indoor plumbing, and two electric elevators. The property, Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, was the largest private residence ever built in the US, a record it still holds. This year, Biltmore is celebrating its 130th Christmas. Its decorations, which are on display until January 4, include 36 Christmas trees inside the home, more than 10,000 ornaments, and 7,740 yards of ribbon. Take a look inside the largest home in America, and see how it decorates for the holidays. Gilded Age heir George Vanderbilt commissioned Biltmore House in the 1880s. In 1888, George Vanderbilt began purchasing land for his future estate after falling in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains. He selected family-favorite architect Richard Morris Hunt to design and build the home, while Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York City's Central Park , was chosen to design the gardens. Biltmore was largely completed by December 1895, although final design touches weren't finished until 1898. The estate is still owned by descendants of George Vanderbilt and is operated as a private company, The Biltmore Company. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1963. While the largest, Biltmore is just one of the impressive, expansive Gilded Age properties built by the Vanderbilt family , who had multiple ornate homes in Newport, Rhode Island , and throughout New York , some of which were also designed by Richard Morris Hunt. It's been 130 years since George Vanderbilt opened Biltmore's doors to loved ones for the first time on Christmas Eve in 1895. The first Christmas celebrations, held just two months after George Vanderbilt moved into his new home, were attended by dozens of Vanderbilt relatives and friends, who took a private railcar to the home, per the estate 's website. On Christmas Eve, the guests enjoyed a meal with multiple courses and candle-lit musical performances. The next morning, the estate's workers and their families were welcomed inside, where they each received gifts. Celebrations continued into the new year. The first Christmas festivities marked the beginning of an annual tradition, which continued after Vanderbilt married his wife, Edith, in 1898. In 1906, The New York Times reported that the 30-foot-tall Christmas tree "will bear 1,500 presents, and all these Mrs. Vanderbilt will purchase herself,...

Preview: ~500 words