Built in 1905 for the estate of the late Captain Thomas D. Johnston, Belvedere was constructed as a residence for his daughter Eugenia. Johnston served as mayor of Asheville in 1869. In later years, the Captain was elected to the State legislature and State senate, and in 1884 was elected as a member of Congress. It is believed that Belvedere acquired its name from the 1929 Thomas Wolfe novel, Look Homeward, Angel. Prominent architect Richard Sharp Smith designed Belvedere and several other houses in the neighborhood. Smith was also responsible for overseeing construction of the Biltmore House and designed several buildings on that estate as well. The picturesque multi-gabled two-story frame house features European style architecture including pebbledash wall surfaces, multi-paned windows, half timbering and a projecting bay window.

Between the years of World War I and the Great Depression, Belvedere was sold many times as the fortunes of the elite dwindled. In 1932, the home was auctioned off on the steps of the Buncombe County Courthouse. More than 50 years ago, William Henry Ward and his wife, Nellie, purchased the home. After the death of her husband in 1955, Nellie, who was active in the Asheville Tourist Association, continued to operate Belvedere as a boarding house. Belvedere operated as one of the last of Asheville's old-style tourist homes. Most of the buildings of this type either became bed and breakfasts or were converted to rental apartments. Today, Belvedere serves tourists and residents alike as a rejuvenating spa.

Information and photos courtesy of the National Register for Historic Places Asheville, NC Travel Itinerary, a subsidiary of the National Park Service.