Richard Morris Hunt studied architecture and designed the Pavilion de la Bibliotheque in Paris in 1846. After he and his brother William, an artist, returned to the United States in 1855, Richard worked on U.S. Capitol additions. Richard opened his studio in New York City in 1858, returned to Europe for more study, and began to get commissions in the 1860s. The Biltmore House for George W. Vanderbilt, near Asheville, NC, was one of the famous residences he designed. His design of the Administration Building for the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago won him a gold medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects.