Raoul, Thomas Wadley, House
Also known as: Raoulwood
Why it's listed
Raoulwood is a two-and-one-half-story, ten-bay Tudor Revival house of about 6,000 square feet at 394 Vanderbilt Road in Biltmore Forest, beside Asheville. Built in 1923 for Thomas Wadley Raoul, it has stucco walls with vertical half-timbering on the second floor, a steeply pitched slate roof, a leaded oriel window and a sleeping porch where Raoul took mountain air for his tubercular lungs. Inside, rough stucco walls, hewn beams and Craftsman brick fireplaces give a rustic feel, while the dining room is more classical. A contributing servant's cottage from the same year and a non-contributing 1963 garage stand on the grounds, which family recollection attributes to landscape designer Chauncey Beadle. The house is significant for its architecture. Despite a 1990 fire in the top story, it keeps its original bathroom tiles, casement fittings, moldings, window sashes, doors and kitchen cabinets. Of the four founding partners' houses in Biltmore Forest, it is the only one not extensively renovated.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant under Criterion C for architecture as a well-preserved example of Tudor Revival style with Craftsman influences. It retains much original fabric, including bathrooms, fittings, doors, casements and kitchen cabinets, and is the only one of the four founding partners' houses in Biltmore Forest not extensively renovated. It is also tied to Raoul, a founder of the Biltmore Forest community, and to landscaping said to be by Chauncey Beadle.
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 06001105, listed November 28, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 394 Vanderbilt Rd., Asheville |
|---|---|
| County | Buncombe County |
| Listed | November 28, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06001105 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1923 |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival; Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling with garden grounds. The top story burned in 1990 and was restored, and the original garage was replaced in 1963. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.53431, -82.53980 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 06001105.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18157133
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.