A couple of months ago we went to the
Biltmore Estate in
Asheville, North Carolina. It truly was an awe inspiring mansion to say the least.
Because of my love for architecture, we took the rooftop tour to see up close the details that were put into the rooftop alone. They were amazing!
Fun fact: This particular rooftop was surrounded by copper...Other than it being gorgeous do you know why? When it rains the slow release of copper prevents the growth of moss, lichens and algae so in essence it keeps the roof clean.
Oh and yes that "brassy" shine you see in this photo is gilded gold, it's still there after 115 years of standing...
I always assumed the little faces you see on buildings were called gargoyles, but they are actually called grotesques....
Gargoyles are a carved stone grotesque
with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building so as to keep the water from running down the walls which over time would cause erosion. In this particular picture you see both, a grotesque guarding over the gargoyle, pretty cool huh?
Here's another fun fact....The architect of the Biltmore had the foresight to get enough tiles for the roof to repair or replace the entire roof at least one more time and do you know that over 100 years has gone by and the roof hasn't needed to be replaced yet? Who knew? ;) They are actually still stored under the mansion. They don't make many roofs like that anymore do they?
The views up here didn't suck but that coollllldddd wind sort of did, the day we were up there it was 11 degrees and I had no jacket. I get the chills just thinking about it.
Have any of you been to the Biltmore Estate?
Please share your thoughts when you first turned that corner on the road and entered through the gates and saw this....
