In the late 1880s, as George Vanderbilt was amassing nearly 228 square miles of land in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, he turned to Frederick Law Olmsted for counsel on what should be done with it. It was not in the best condition. He’d purchased about six hundred lots that varied in size...
Parker Andes and Suzanne Woodell deal on a daily basis with the colliding issues of time and speed and space at Biltmore Estate near Asheville, N.C. They are, respectively, director of horticulture and historic gardens manager for thousands of acres on the property. They’ve recently been charged with...
A new exhibit at Antler Hill Village on the grounds of Biltmore Estate near Asheville, N.C. examines a legacy in drawings and photos from three of the brighter lights of late 19th century design. The collaborative efforts in the Carolina mountains by Frederick Law Olmsted, Richard Morris Hunt and George...
Thomas Jefferson’s affinity for landscape design can be experienced today at Poplar Forest, where an observant pilgrim can see and feel how he molded land and plantings to his advantage during the early 19th century. The home takes its name from the view out its north portico. ...
Unfinished during his lifetime and not yet fully restored, the rural villa Thomas Jefferson called Poplar Forest still may be his most perfect architectural work – an idealistic symbol of the balance he sought between man and the natural order. It took a mere fourteen years to complete (compared to Monticello’s...
When the late-19th-century trains of progress began chugging up the slopes of the western North Carolina mountains onto the Asheville plateau, word soon spread that this little mountain village was a latter-day Garden of Eden. Its moderate summers appealed to tourists from the South and its short winters...
When he closes his eyes, North Carolina artist Steve Staresina says he sees images. So he began to paint with acrylics on canvas, back in the early ‘90s. Later, he branched out into working on walls. That led to jobs as an artisan plasterer for architects and interior designers. He took a trip to France,...
Today The Martin Agency is 500 people strong and rapidly on its way to 600. It‘s a magnet for talent and for likeable people. Much of that can be laid at Mike Hughes’ feet, since he may be the most well liked person in Richmond, if not the entire advertising industry. “I’m sure there are […]
If he were a patient man, Mike Hughes might have turned to architecture for a career. Instead, he helped fast-track a small Southern ad agency into a top-tier, nationally-known communications firm. He’s president of The Martin Agency, named 2010 “Agency of the Year” by ADWEEK. That magazine...
Since the 1930s, Preservation North Carolina (PNC) has been striving to protect North Carolina’s architectural history, one building at a time. Remarkably, of the total 702 preservation covenants held by statewide organizations in the U.S., 407 are held by PNC. “We have one of the highest rosters...
