GROVE PARK INN

Ashville, NC

The Grove Park Inn was conceived by Edwin Wiley Grove. After serving in the Civil War, he purchased Paris Medicine Company. His leading product was Grove=s Tasteless Chill Tonic, a household remedy for most common ills. He sold more bottles of his tonic than Coca-Cola sold in the 1890’s.

Built in 1913 with rough granite stones locally mined from nearby Sunset Mountain, the resort overlooks the city of Asheville, with panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Construction began in 1912 and was completed in 11 months and 27 days. The work force included four-hundred men working six days a week, mules, wagons, ropes, and a lone steam shovel. Some of the granite boulders weighed over 10,000 pounds. The Inn captures the essence of the Arts and Crafts design movement. It is distinctive with its exterior five foot thick walls made of massive boulders and its undulating red clay tile roof. The expansive lobby is unique with its enormous granite fireplaces - large enough for a man to stand in - and expansive porches with majestic overlooks.