Richmond Hill Inn

The Richmond Hill Inn was a 25-room Inn located on the Historic Richmond Hill estate in North Carolina. It was a Queen Anne style mansion that was built in 1889 and has now been gutted by the arson fire. It served as the private residence of ambassador and congressman Richmond Pearson. Its name derives from a combination of its builder, Richmond Pearson, and the designer, James G. Hill. At the time of its construction, the mansion was one of the most elegant structures in Asheville, with running water, ten fireplaces, and a pulley-operated baggage elevator. It served as a center for social and political activity for many years during Pearson's life. The Estate is located on French Broad River, surrounded by rolling grounds with gardens.

In 1984, the Pearson heirs sold the Richmond Hill estate. The Preservation Society saved the mansion from demolition and had it moved 600 feet. The mansion underwent a $3 million restoration before being opened as part of an Inn in 1989. The second and third floors housed 12 guest rooms, while the first floor contained a restaurant called Gabrielle's, a grand Oak Hall, library, and front parlor.

Two other additions have been made since the initial reopening, both designed by architect Jim Samsel. A manicured croquet court with 8 cottages overlooking the greens were built in 1990. A new building called The Garden Pavilion was added in 1996, containing 16 guest rooms and overlooking a Victorian Parterre-style garden.

On March 19, 2009, a fire destroyed the 120-year-old historic mansion. Due to the size of the fire, an arson investigation began immediately.

Within days of the blaze, officials with the Asheville Fire Department, confirmed the discovery of what they considered to be evidence indicating that the fire had been intentionally set.[1] Further suspicions were aroused due to an ongoing legal battle which had led the Buncombe County Clerk of Court ordering that the inn be sold in a foreclosure auction on the Buncombe county court house steps.[2][3][4] This foreclose notice was entered into three days before the 2009 fire. The owners at the time of the fire had failed to make mortgage payments on the property since August 2008. This failure to make payments led the previous owners, who had financed the purchase, to seek foreclosure. One day before the 2008 foreclose hearing Richmond Hill Inn (Hammock LLC) managing partner William G Gray and his half sister, The Hammocks LLC/Lake Norman pavilion LLC majority partner Virginia C Love (of the law firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC) [5] filed suit against the former owners and mortgage holders for alleged faulty pipes on the property.[6][7] In addition, the Buncombe county tax assessor was seeking over $64,000 in property taxes from 2008 [8]

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