It’s not like any other neighborhood in Asheville. It is more than an interesting neighborhood of curving streets, towering trees and old houses. It is a nationally recognized landmark in planned residential design, a rare surviving example of late nineteenth century “resort park” development. Thoughtfully sited on the western slope of Sunset Mountain to allow for shared panoramic views, Albemarle Park feels as if it is someplace far outside the city, even though the neighborhood is just east of the Charlotte Street business district and only a 15 minute walk to downtown Asheville.

Albemarle Park is both a National Register and Local Historic district (more), the Historic Resources Commission of Asheville & Buncombe County and staff review applications and issue Certificates of Appropriateness for work on structures and the landscape within Albemarle Park. (learn more)

Originally a 32-acre, hillside farm at the far edges of the city, it was developed starting in 1897 by Thomas Wadley Raoul (who became one of Asheville’s leading citizens and the developer of Biltmore Forest for the Vanderbilts) in collaboration with the renowned Architect Bradford Gilbert and Landscape Architect, Samuel Parsons, Jr. (a founder of the American Society of Landscape Architects and its 2nd president) as a thoughtfully planned residential community whose centerpiece was The Manor Inn, the last surviving wooden inn in Asheville from the late 19th century. Albemarle Park is composed of 42 structures, including all of the original historic buildings, reflecting a rich diversity of the arts and crafts style of architecture. The neighborhood’s site planning and landscape design has been nationally recognized with a Medallion Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects and it is the only neighborhood in the city with both architectural and landscape design standards to manage its historic resources.