Arts & Craft Design at Grove Park Inn

"Boys, we're going into the mountains."

Nestled in the mountains, The Grove Park Inn was built in 1913 with only the use of mules, wagons, and ropes. Four-hundred men worked 10-hour shifts six days a week to finish the hotel in the promised one year timeline. And build it they did!

At the turn of the 20th century, the design world had been ready for a shift from the heavily ornamented Victorian style. The Industrial Revolution had allowed entrepreneurs to mass produce the popular Victorian style furniture and furnishings, dominating the interior of many households. As such interior designers were looking for a change, grieving the loss of a unique, one-of-a-kind craftsman style... So hello, "Arts and Crafts" movement!

Thus, back to the Grove Park Inn, the epitome of Arts and Crafts design. With its granite boulders, both inside and out, and its red clay tile roof, the Grove Park Inn is uniquely distinct in its wonder and glory (not to the mention the Blue Ridge mountain views). The interior features many Roycroft and other popular craftsman-like furnishings and fixtures.

The hotel was branded for its founder, a man that went by the name of E. W. Grove. Who was this man Grove? Well, in the late 1890’s Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic, the pharmacist's experimental drink dubbed to prevent malaria, was a common household item, selling more bottles than Coca-Cola. Grove's tonic may not have outlasted the times, but his hotel surely has, attracting well known names over the years, like F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Rockefellers, and a double digit list of past Presidents.

Visiting one of the historic hotels of America has not led us wrong to date, and The Grove Park Inn located in Asheville, North Carolina is another amazing stay to add to the list.

*** Images courtesy of The Grove Park Inn ***