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A harsh fight over the fate of a stately old hotel

he Belleview Biltmore Hotel still exudes some of the grandeur of a time when tycoons like its builder, the railroad magnate Henry Plant, spared little expense to entertain visitors. There is a ballroom with a stained-glass ceiling, a hidden stairway for children and their nannies, and hallways wide enough for hoop skirts.

But the romance of the hotel has faded, replaced by an acrimonious fight over whether it should be saved.
Read entire article at NYT