E. W. Grove, Asheville Visionary
An entrepreneur
who had a great impact on the urban design of Asheville was Edwin Wiley Grove
(1850-1927). A druggist who had settled
in Paris, Tennessee, Grove made his fortune, beginning in 1880, by creating “Tasteless
Chill Tonic,” distributed by his Paris Medicine Company. Designed to prevent or lessen the effects (“chills”)
of malaria, prevalent in nineteenth century North America, the liquid quickly became
popular because Grove was able to mask somewhat the bitter taste of quinine in the medication with lemon. Although it wasn’t exactly “tasteless,” the
tonic was so well-liked that in 1890 it outsold that other bottled favorite Coca-Cola! In 1897, Grove himself suffered from bronchitis
and a chronic case of the hiccups for which his physician suggested a trip to
the mountains of Asheville to recuperate. Thus began a thirty-year period of building that
would forever change the face of the city.
In
the first decade of the twentieth century, Grove began accumulating land within
the Asheville city limits. A beautiful spot on the
westward-facing slope of Sunset Mountain would become the site of his resort,
the Grove Park Inn. Construction began in 1912 and was completed
within a year, using rough granite stones from the mountain to fashion the rustic
exterior. Visitors can still admire the original building with its
large fireplace in the lobby and the expansive porch overlooking the Blue Ridge
Mountains out back. Many new buildings
have been added, as well as a 16,000 square foot spa, tennis courts, and swimming
pools. Over the years famous guests
have stayed at the inn: William Jennings Bryan spoke at its opening in 1913;
presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama have stayed there; celebrated
Americans from Thomas Edison and Henry Ford to actors like William Shatner and
Don Cheadle have found their way to the Grove Park Inn. We were there in time for the annual gingerbread
house competition at Christmas.
Another
building project of Edwin Grove was the Grove Arcade,
considered by some as the 1st indoor shopping mall in our
country. Architect Charles N. Parker originally
conceived the space as a fourteen-story tower on a five-story
base. But Grove died before the Arcade
was opened and plans for the tower were then abandoned. Restored in recent years, the Arcade contains
shops, restaurants, offices, and luxury apartments. Not all of Edwin Grove’s projects received support by inhabitants of the town. For example, he had
the old Battery Park Hotel torn down, the hill razed, and a new one put up in
its place. One thing is for sure: Grove
had a sizeable influence on the building of modern-day Asheville.
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