The Cathedral of All Souls is the largest structure in Biltmore Village, a planned community built on the edge of George Vanderbilt’s estate. Completed in 1896, the church combines Romanesque Revival style with Gothic arches, as well as the red brick, pebbledash, and heavy timber beams that are signatures of the manor vernacular style throughout Biltmore Village. The church is also known for stained-glass windows by Maitland and Helen Armstrong, as well as an education wing designed by prominent Asheville architect William Waldo Dodge.

All Souls has a long history of social justice. In its early days, it helped establish area schools and a hospital. Over fifty years ago, the church constructed what is believed to be one of Asheville’s first racially integrated basketball courts on the site of the former rectory. The first gay and lesbian advocacy group in Western North Carolina, CLOSER, was founded at All Souls. The church also was the original home of the All Souls Counseling Center, which provides mental health services for uninsured and underinsured individuals. The Cathedral hosts a women’s shelter and a cold weather shelter as well as arts events, such as an annual three-day art fair and community choirs.

When Hurricane Helene hit Asheville in September 2024, the Cathedral of All Souls flooded for the first time in its 129-year history, with more than four feet of water and mud covering the floors and walls. The entire church campus was impacted, with immediate cleanup costs alone costing well over $1 million.

An Intervention Fund grant of $100,000 awarded in 2025 will help support Phases One and Two of the planning work needed to support the restoration of this significant structure, including existing conditions surveys, civil site surveys, and laser scans.