Apr 28, 1980
National Register of Historic Places - William E. Breese, Sr. House
Statement of Significance: The William E. Breese, Sr. House, generally known today as Cedar Crest, is one of the largest and most opulent residences surviving from Asheville's 1890s boom period. Located on a three-acre tract just north of Biltmore Village, the Queen Anne style dwelling features a prominent turret, expansive side and rear porches, and interior woodwork of remarkable elaboration. The house was constructed in 1891 for Charleston native and Confederate veteran William E. Breese, a banker who founded the First National Bank of Asheville in 1885. Breese played a leading role in the city's late-nineteenth development, and his house was a focal point for the wealthy society of the growing resort town. The banker's fortunes turned to tragedy in 1897 when his bank failed during a general economic downturn, and Breese was indicted on charges of embezzlement and conspiracy to violate banking statutes. Though an early conviction was overturned in 1906, his status in Asheville was compromised and he left the city to resettle in Brevard. From 1902 to 1926 the house was occupied by the family of Arthur Rees, general manager of the Hans Rees and Sons Tannery, a New York firm that located in Asheville in 1900 and developed into one of the town's most important early industries. During the Depression era the house served a few years as a tubercular sanatorium and changed hands frequently--at times being left vacant--until purchased in 1936 by John L. and Minnie Page. Mrs. Page opened it as a tourist home with the present name, Cedar Crest, and lived here until her death in 1976. Her daughters continue to operate Cedar Crest as a respectable and well-kept guest house for roomers and seasonal visitors and the structure survives unaltered as one of the chief landmarks of the city's first great boom.
National Register of Historic Places - William E. Breese, Sr. House
Statement of Significance: The William E. Breese, Sr. House, generally known today as Cedar Crest, is one of the largest and most opulent residences surviving from Asheville's 1890s boom period. Located on a three-acre tract just north of Biltmore Village, the Queen Anne style dwelling features a prominent turret, expansive side and rear porches, and interior woodwork of remarkable elaboration. The house was constructed in 1891 for Charleston native and Confederate veteran William E. Breese, a banker who founded the First National Bank of Asheville in 1885. Breese played a leading role in the city's late-nineteenth development, and his house was a focal point for the wealthy society of the growing resort town. The banker's fortunes turned to tragedy in 1897 when his bank failed during a general economic downturn, and Breese was indicted on charges of embezzlement and conspiracy to violate banking statutes. Though an early conviction was overturned in 1906, his status in Asheville was compromised and he left the city to resettle in Brevard. From 1902 to 1926 the house was occupied by the family of Arthur Rees, general manager of the Hans Rees and Sons Tannery, a New York firm that located in Asheville in 1900 and developed into one of the town's most important early industries. During the Depression era the house served a few years as a tubercular sanatorium and changed hands frequently--at times being left vacant--until purchased in 1936 by John L. and Minnie Page. Mrs. Page opened it as a tourist home with the present name, Cedar Crest, and lived here until her death in 1976. Her daughters continue to operate Cedar Crest as a respectable and well-kept guest house for roomers and seasonal visitors and the structure survives unaltered as one of the chief landmarks of the city's first great boom.
Apr 28, 1980
Posted Date
Aug 23, 2023
Historical Record Date
Apr 28, 1980
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
