George Mason Wrote America’s Bill of Rights. His Great-Great-Grandson Built This $9.75 Million North Carolina Mansion to Prove It
There is something quietly extraordinary about a family so committed to preserving a legacy that they built an entirely new version of a home the family had already lost.
On June 4, 2026, New Gunston Hall, a 1923 Colonial Revival estate at 324 Vanderbilt Road in Biltmore Forest, North Carolina, hit the market for $9.75 million.
The listing is being handled exclusively by Alec Cantley of the Asheville office of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.
On paper, it is one of the highest-priced listings in North Carolina. In reality, it is a century-old act of loyalty finally looking for its next chapter.
And the name on this home belongs to one of the most consequential Founding Fathers most Americans barely remember.
The Founding Father Whose Words Are Still Protecting You
George Mason did not want fame. He wanted rights.
In 1776, Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Jefferson pulled from it when drafting the Declaration of Independence. Madison used it as the direct basis for the Bill of Rights.
Your freedom of speech, your right to a fair trial, your protection against unreasonable searches: Mason wrote all of it first.
He was also one of only three delegates who refused to sign the 1787 Constitution because it contained no individual protections. His refusal forced the issue. The first 10 amendments were ratified in 1791, the year before he died.
He lived and worked at Gunston Hall, his estate in Fairfax County, Virginia. At some point, the original estate passed out of the Mason family’s hands entirely. That loss is exactly why what happened in 1923 matters.
A Descendant Who Refused to Let the Name Disappear
William Beverley Mason, great-great-grandson of George Mason, commissioned this home in 1923 on a prominent ridgeline in the newly formed Biltmore Forest community, modeled directly after the original Virginia estate his family had lost.
According to its National Register of Historic Places listing, it is reportedly the first known replica of a landmark 18th-century American home built by a direct descendant of the original owner.
He hired Waddy Butler Wood, a Washington D.C. architect whose resume included the U.S. Department of the Interior headquarters and the Woodrow Wilson House. This was Wood’s only residential commission in North Carolina.
The result: an 8,688-square-foot Colonial Revival mansion with Flemish bond brickwork, 9 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 8 fireplaces, original millwork, hardwood floors, and 11.3 acres of formal gardens and mountain views.
Landscape architects Chauncey Beadle and Lola Anderson Dennis handled the grounds.
Between 2013 and 2016, the current owners completed a full multimillion-dollar restoration, modernizing infrastructure while keeping every original detail intact.
As listing agent Cantley put it, you walk in and simply appreciate the millwork, while still getting a fully updated HVAC system. Current owners James and Sherry Taylor bought it in 2012 for $1.8 million. It is now listed at $9.75 million.
One thing no competitor mentioned: in 2014, renovation activity at the estate triggered widespread rumors that Barack and Michelle Obama were scouting it as a post-presidency home. A White House spokesperson denied it.
The property was not for sale. But the fact that the rumor existed at all says something about how people perceive this home. It looked like a place a president would want.
For the full listing breakdown, Realtor.com has the complete property details here.
If you track stories like this as they break, the WhatsApp channel covers luxury and historic listings before the news cycle catches up. Worth checking. This is the kind of story that moves fast.
The pattern of high-profile names not always guaranteeing smooth real estate outcomes shows up everywhere in luxury, like this RHOBH star who spent over $1 million on luxury while her dream home slipped into foreclosure.
Why This Matters
This listing is entering a market that is actively slowing at the high end. And that context is what every other article skipped.
According to Q1 2026 data from Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty’s Asheville market analysis, average days on market in Asheville rose from 66 days in early 2025 to 106 days in Q1 2026.
In Buncombe County, that number climbed from 72 to 110 days. Luxury properties priced above $1.5 million are sitting longer, and buyers are negotiating harder.
A $9.75 million ask in that environment is not casual. It signals the sellers believe provenance commands a premium that market conditions cannot discount.
And they have a point.
What else in North Carolina combines all of this: a home on the National Register of Historic Places, designed by a nationally recognized architect, built by a direct descendant of the Founding Father who wrote the Bill of Rights, on 11 acres in one of Asheville’s oldest enclaves, and fully restored to modern standard?
That combination does not exist anywhere else. America turns 250 years old in just weeks. The timing of this listing is not accidental.
Key Takeaways
- New Gunston Hall at 324 Vanderbilt Road, Biltmore Forest listed June 4, 2026 at $9.75 million
- Built in 1923 by William Beverley Mason, great-great-grandson of Founding Father George Mason
- Modeled after the original Gunston Hall estate in Fairfax County, Virginia
- Designed by Waddy Butler Wood, his only residential commission in North Carolina
- 8,688 sq ft, 9 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 11.3 acres, 8 fireplaces
- Current owners bought the property in 2012 for $1.8 million; now listed at $9.75 million
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; one of the first homes built in Biltmore Forest
- Listed exclusively by Alec Cantley of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Asheville
What do you think: does a home like this sell on legacy alone, or does the Asheville market slowdown force the price down before a buyer commits? Drop your take in the comments.
Wrapping Up
Most homes are just square footage with a story attached. This one is the other way around. The story built the square footage.
A great-great-grandson looked at what his family had lost, found a ridgeline in North Carolina, and hired one of the finest architects in the country to rebuild a piece of American history from scratch. That is not a real estate decision. That is a statement.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. All details are based on publicly available reports and listings at the time of publication.
