Mansion with ties to one of America’s Founding Fathers for sale in NC mountains
A mansion with ties to one of America’s Founding Fathers is for sale in the North Carolina mountains.
Known as “New Gunston Hall” or “Franklin Hall,” the 11-acre estate in Biltmore Forest is listed for $9.75 million exclusively by Alec Cantley, global real estate adviser with the Asheville office of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.
The 1923 Colonial Revival home was commissioned by William Mason, great-great-grandson of Founding Father George Mason, Cantley said in a news release. The mansion was inspired by Gunston Hall, George Mason’s Virginia estate, he said.
Located in the 300 block of Vanderbilt Road, near Asheville, the North Carolina estate was among the first in Biltmore Forest and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Cantley said.
The home “is recognized as the first known replica of a landmark 18th-century American home built by a direct descendant of the original owner,” he said.
Original millwork, hardwood floors and eight fireplaces
The 8,688-square-foot home has nine bedrooms and seven full bathrooms, according to its listing.
Noted architect Waddy Butler Wood of Washington, D.C., designed the home, which is considered his only residential commission in North Carolina, Cantley said.
The architect’s work “included many of the nation’s distinguished early 20th-century residences and national landmarks, such as the U.S. Department of the Interior headquarters building and the Woodrow Wilson House,” Cantley said.
The mansion is located atop one of Biltmore Forest’s most prominent ridgelines and includes formal gardens, its listing shows.
The home was built with Flemish bond brickwork and slate roofing and has its original millwork, hardwood floors, formal entertaining spaces and eight fireplaces, according to the listing.
Designed by landscape architects Chauncey Beadle and Lola Anderson Dennis, the grounds also include rolling lawns, mature trees, a greenhouse, outbuildings and mountain views.
A three-year restoration, completed in 2016, modernized the estate’s infrastructure and amenities, including the addition of specialty lighting, a six-car garage and updated systems, Cantley said.
“This is not only one of Asheville’s most important historic residences, but also a property that reflects the enduring legacy of Biltmore Forest and the early vision for the community.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 1:24 PM.