Guastavino never stopped adding on to his sprawling, 25-room home, which included a bell tower.
The architect enjoys a book on the porch of Rhododendron, circa 1905.
A pergola-covered deck overlooked a pond on the grounds.
One of the architect’s last projects was the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, which he asked to design when he saw that the city’s Catholic congregation had outgrown a prior building. The church is also Guastavino’s final resting place.
A postcard depicts the home, which locals nicknamed The Spanish Castle.
The wine cellar is a reminder of the home as well as the vineyards that once grew at Rhododendron.
A plaque inscribed with Guastavino’s motto, “labor is the chief virtue.”
On her rare outings after her husband’s death, Francesca was clad entirely in black.
A kiln used to fire Gaustavino's signature tiles crumbled, but it's chimney remains.
Rafael Guastavino’s talent for arched architectural elements can be seen in places as grand as Biltmore and as small as Rhododendron’s wine cellar.
Raphael Guastavino
