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 Albemarle
Park, located off Charlotte Street, is a planned residential community that is
composed of 45 residences reflecting diverse and very attractive architectural
styles that were built on a 32.42-acre tract of land acquired by William Green
Raoul in 1886. Raoul, who served as president of both Georgian and Mexican
railroads, was the visionary who conceived of Albemarle Park and who purchased
the land from a local farmer named Deaver. It was his third son, Thomas Wadley
Raoul, however who was to be the foreman of the project and the one who made the
vision a reality. For almost twenty-five years he devoted his energies to
overseeing the construction and management of The Manor and cottages.
The main building, The Manor, was built in 1898 by Thomas. He conceived the idea
of a twenty-five room English style country inn to be used as a boarding house.
He later modified his plan to include several individually designed cottages to
complement the main house. From these beginnings the Albemarle Park neighborhood
began to take shape, with Raoul insisting upon only the finest materials and
workmanship to be used in the construction.
This neighborhood has very narrow curving streets that preserve much of the
wooded landscape of the area. It is situated on the western slope of Sunset
Mountain and is crowned by The Manor that graces a knoll that slopes down to
Charlotte Street. This district is evocative of Asheville’s dramatic turn-of-the
century resort town boom era, and its rich craftsmanship and informal charm is
related to Biltmore Village.
The original site plan was designed by Samuel Parsons Jr., the landscape
architect of New York’s Central Park. The design catered to wealthy lowlanders
from Georgia and North and South Carolina who saw the mountains as a summer
refuge. The crown jewel of this marvelous complex is The Manor, one of the last
intact grand hotels from the late 19th century resort era. It was used for the
filming of one of the scenes for the recent movie “The Last of the Mohicans.”
This historic building also hosted the film crews for the movie, “The Swan,” and
Grace Kelly, who starred in the film was a guest at the inn. Her former rooms
are now known as the Princess Suite. Alec Guiness, Agnes Morehead and Louis
Jordan also stayed at The Manor during that time.
The Manor was converted to a retirement hotel in 1961 by Charles Lavin. By 1976
The Manor had changed owners again and at this time it became a residential
hotel, and in 1984, after severe winter damage, it was closed. The Preservation
Society bought The Manor in 1989 when it was threatened with demolition, and in
1991, it was sold and restored in an historically sensitive way as an apartment
complex. Without the efforts of this important local organization, this
historical treasure would have been lost forever.
Each building in the neighborhood was intended to have a distinctive
architectural style. A walk through the neighbor-hood reveals cottages that show
Italian, French and Swiss influences as well as Georgian Revival, Appalachian
and Adirondack styles of architecture. The primary architect of Albemarle Park
was Bradford Lee Gilbert, who also designed the Virginia Beach Hotel (1888) in
Virginia Beach, Virginia, and the Berkeley Arms Hotel (1883) in Berkeley, New
Jersey.
If you would like to learn more about this fascinating Historic District, you
may purchase a copy of The Manor Cottages, a book published by the Albemarle
Park-Manor Grounds Association, Inc. (P.O. Box 2231, Asheville, NC 28802),
258-1283. This excellent publication gives an in-depth look at the history and
architecture.
Directions & Self-Guided Tour
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Directions: To reach Albemarle Park take Charlotte Street north till you come to the
original Gatehouse on your right at 265. Turn right onto Cherokee Road. The
Manor will be on your left. Park your car if you wish in the small parking lot
on Cherokee Road. |
The Manor (NRHP, LHL) 265 Charlotte St.
Constructed in 1889, The Manor is a rambling group of interconnecting wings
which combine elements of Shingle, Tudoresque and Dutch Colonial Revival
architecture. The main portion of The Manor was built soon after the property,
originally part of the Deaver Farm, was purchased in 1886 by the elder Raoul.
This main portion of the inn is a twenty-five room five-part structure of rough
field rock above which is a stucco and timber level. A second wing, built in
1903, angles out from the main body of the inn towards the road. The main level
of this wing is Tudoresque and has cross timbering beneath the windows that is
painted a deep red color. A third wing projects in the opposite direction and is
composed of rough stone below green shingles. This wing was added in 1913-1914.
The interior of The Manor is wonderfully executed craftsmanship that is believed
to have been done by Italian workmen from Biltmore Estate. An immense brick
fireplace, a long, curved glass-enclosed sun corridor and Tiffany-type stained
glass windows are among the notable features. Just below The Manor are the
Gatehouse and the Clubhouse.
The Gatehouse (NRHP)
Also referred to as the Lodge, this building was the first structure built in
Albemarle Park, erected by James A. Tennent in 1898. It was designed by Gilbert
in the Tudoresque Shingle style with pebbledash stucco at the first floor and
granite foundation. The Lodge arched over the entrance drive leading from
Charlotte Street into The Park. During the early years of the development, the
offices of the Albemarle Park Company were on the ground floor of the two-story
shingle and stone turret. Today the Gatehouse is used for commercial office
space.
The Club House (NRHP)
Built around 1903, it originally contained the tennis courts, bowling alleys,
pool and billiard rooms and a reading lounge. It is an L-shaped building of
stone and timber that has a long gallery on the second floor. Three small
hexagonal offices now dot the area between the old tennis court and the
Gatehouse, and though modern, are in character with the round and polygonal
forms found on several of the earlier buildings. The Club House today is used
for commercial office space.
After viewing these main buildings, you may wish to venture on foot to see some
of the lovely cottages throughout Al-bemarle Park. Dogwood Cottage, Foxhall and
Rose Bank are all within walking distance.
Dogwood Cottage Inn (NRHP) 40 Canterbury Rd.
This large 1˝-story rustic shingle cottage is now operated as a bed & breakfast,
the Dogwood Cottage Inn. Main features are a continuous shed dormer across the
main facade, casement windows and a bracketed hood over the entrance. It was
built as a home for William Green and Mary Raoul in 1910 and sits on a
commanding mountainside site offering views of the mountains to the west. The
rustic style of the Dogwood Cottage relates to the traditional architecture of
the Appalachians.
Foxhall and Fox Den (NRHP) 60 Terrace Rd.
Foxhall is the larger of the two and was built in 1914 by E.A. Fordtran, who was
the owner of the New Orleans Times/Picayune newspaper. It is a 2˝-story
building, originally stucco and shingle, which has been refaced with brick
veneer and siding. The building has graceful roof lines and fenestration and is
beautifully landscaped. Fox Den is a two-story gambrel roofed garage apartment
of stucco and timber that adjoins Foxhall.
Rose Bank (NRHP) 106 Orchard Rd.
Rose Bank is a two-story shingle cottage with a projecting Dutch gambrel wing
and double porches, designed in the Dutch Colonial Revival Style. Built around
1905, Rose Bank has distinctive windows that have diamond-paned upper sashes
playfully arranged. Windows of various sizes and shapes are tied together with
simple trim.
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