Gunston Hall
Also known as: Franklin Hall
Why it's listed
Built in 1923 in Biltmore Forest, a residential park carved from the Vanderbilt estate near Asheville, this five-part brick house follows the plan of Gunston Hall, the Virginia home of Dr. Mason's great-great-grandfather George Mason. Washington architect Waddy B. Wood replicated the central block's proportions and pedimented porch, while the garden front has a three-part Tuscan doorway instead of the original Chinese Gothic porch. Luther L. Merchant built the house, which Dr. Mason used as a summer residence. The property is valued as a pioneering early Colonial Revival design, predating the restorations at Colonial Williamsburg by several years. Its grounds, shaped by landscape superintendent Chauncey Beadle and later enlarged by owner Lola Anderson Dennis, are regarded as a largely intact early twentieth-century designed landscape. The house was also an early model for later construction in the development.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant at local, state and national levels in architecture, landscape architecture and community development. It is presented as the first known replica of an eighteenth-century landmark house built by a descendant of its original builder, and as an early example of the American Colonial Revival. The designed landscape, developed from 1920 to about 1955, is described as largely intact from the first half of the twentieth century.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91001505, listed October 24, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 324 Vanderbilt Rd., Biltmore Forest |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | October 24, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91001505 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1920-ca. 1955 |
| Architect / builder | Waddy B. Wood (architect); Luther L. Merchant (contractor/builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Acreage | 11.3 |
| Coordinates | 35.54784, -82.53662 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91001505.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18151222
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.