The Rice White Building - Biltmore Ave.
Two live-work townhouse units and eight residential units located in the historic Rice-White building in the heart of downtown Asheville.
Rowhouse Architects, Heartwood Renovations, and Public Interest Projects worked together to create units which combine careful restoration with thoughtful integration of new features. Live-work units may be used for residential, office or commercial purposes and short-term rentals are permitted. Hardwood floors, high ceilings, secured entry, and high-speed wiring are just a few of the amenities that make these unique units great places to live and work. Walk to the theatre, the movies, the music club, the grocery store and many fine shops and restaurants – they’re all in your neighborhood!
Building History
Constructed in 1890 by the prominent Hilliard family, 19-21 Biltmore Avenue was a mixed-use structure with two retail stores on the street level, doctors' offices serving two generations of Hilliard physicians and an undertaker's business on the second floor, and assembly halls serving local fraternal lodges on the third floor. In addition to the Knights of Pythias and Loyal Order of Moose, the building also housed the Central Labor Union offices and the Socialist Reading Room in the 1910's. Beginning in 1930 the second and third floor were transformed into a small downtown hotel through extensive partitioning of the original large open rooms. Consistent with the national trends transforming downtown commercial properties, the building was converted in the early 1950's to a single retail furniture store with the upper floors turned over to warehousing for the business. A major fire damaged portions of the upper floors, but a remarkable amount of original woodwork and detailing survives.
Click here to read an Asheville Citizen-times article that features one of the Rice-White loft units.