Shifting Landscapes

Shifting Landscapes. . , Making Way for Change , At the turn of the 20th century, this city block was the site of Battery Porter Hill, a ridge measuring seven stories high topped by the original Battery Park Hotel. With its Queen Anne elegance, the resort's 500 rooms offered breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, enjoyed by affluent guests from the U.S. and abroad. In the 1920s, developer E.W. Grove (of Grove Park Inn fame) razed the original resort and the hill it stood on to make way for the two buildings that stand before you today., The Grove Arcade is a multi-use complex with independent boutiques and local restaurants alongside office and residential space. The architecture both inside and out is a treat to below - look for the fanciful carved stone figures, known as grotesques, adorn gin the building. Area artists set-up shop at the sidewalk Portico Market to offer clothing, soaps, jewelry, art and more. Just north of the Grove Arcade lies what was built in 1924 as the new Battery Park Hotel. Now a residential building, the structure appears on the National Register of Historic Places. , The soil removed from the hill here was used to fill in today's Wall Street, located down the stairs opposite the Grove Arcade and home to many popular shops and restaurants. , Healing History , Many visitors to Asheville in the late 19th and early 20th century - including E.W. Grove, who suffered from an unfortunate case of chronic hiccups - were drawn here for its reported healing effects. Doctors prescribed the clean Blue Ridge Mountain air for any number of ailments, and the area was once home to dozens of tuberculosis sanitariums, adding to its reputation as a health resort. , Today, Asheville is still known for its healing arts, and spa and wellness experiences abound across the region. From outdoor hot tub soaks, salt caves, yoga waterfall hikes and fresh, wide-open spaces, to acupuncturists, herbalists and award-winning day spas - there are many ways to heal body and soul in these mountains. , Captions: , Right Battery Park Hotel (1886) The original Battery Park Hotel sat atop a seven-story hill in the center of today's downtown, offering guests panoramic views of the surrounding mountains (Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Special Collections, Pack Memorial Public Library, Asheville, North Carolina), Left: Breathe in cool mountain air of the Blue Ridge, believed by many past and present to have healing properties., Right: The historic Grove Arcade opened in 1929 as a home to shops and markets of all kinds. The building was later established as Asheville's Federal Building and housed the National Climatic Data Center before being renovated returned to its original purpose in the early 2000s.