Whalehead Club facts for kids
The Historic Whalehead Club is a very large house, about 21,000 square feet, located in a quiet spot facing the Currituck Sound in North Carolina, United States. Edward Collings Knight Jr. and Marie Louise Label Knight designed this amazing home. It was built between 1922 and 1925 and is a great example of the Art Nouveau style.
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A Look Back: History of the Whalehead Club
In 1920, Edward Collings Knight Jr. bought the land where the Whalehead Club now stands. He had inherited a lot of money from his family's businesses in sugar, railroads, and steamships. He bought the land with his wife, Marie-Louise LaBel Knight. They named their new home "Corolla Island" because it was near the village of Corolla.
The house was built in a very quiet part of the Outer Banks. It sits right by the Currituck Sound, which is part of the Atlantic Flyway. This area was famous for its many waterfowl, like ducks and geese. Even though it was isolated, the nearby Corolla village had important services. There was a Life Saving Station with a telegraph, a post office, a general store, a church, and a school.
The Knights built Corolla Island on land that used to belong to the Lighthouse Club, a popular hunting club. While guests at the Whalehead Club enjoyed hunting, the house was mostly a comfortable place for the Knights and their friends to relax.
Building the Dream Home
Construction of the house started in 1922 and finished in 1925. A builder from Norfolk named John Kelbaugh managed the project. The house has 20 rooms spread across three stories. Workers even dug a six-foot-deep channel by hand on the western side, making the house truly feel like it was on an island.
The Knights brought many fancy items for their new home. These included custom-made Tiffany lamps with a water-lily design. They also had beautiful furniture by a famous designer named Louis Majorelle. The Knights lived in their Corolla Island home for nine seasons. After they both passed away in 1936, their granddaughters sold the large estate.
What Happened Next?
After the Knights, the home was used for many different things. During World War II, it became a place where the United States Coast Guard trained new recruits. Later, in 1959, 1960, and 1961, it was used as a private summer school for boys called Corolla Academy.
One source says that in 1964, a company called Atlantic Research Corporation bought the property. They used it as a testing site for rocket fuel. After being empty for over 20 years, Currituck County bought the house in 1992. They wanted to restore it to how it looked when the Knights lived there. Today, the Whalehead Club is fully restored and is open to the public as a historic home.
The Design: Architecture of the Whalehead Club
The Whalehead Club, also known as Corolla Island, shows off Art Nouveau details both inside and out. Its long, shallow shape reminds some people of the Arts and Crafts style homes from the 1920s. The house's unique curving roofs and gables look similar to old buildings from Mrs. Knight's childhood home in Kamouraska, Quebec, Canada.
The house is 21,000 square feet, with a very long basement that is 135 feet long. The basement has a special French drainage system and brass pipes for plumbing. The roof is covered with over 10,000 copper shingles, all cut and laid by hand!
Inside the Whalehead Club
First Floor
The first floor has wooden walls that were designed to handle the damp, humid coastal weather. In the main hall, the walls have a corduroy-like texture. This was made by fitting together special wooden panels. The floors are made of cork tiles, which helped reduce noise and keep the house warm.
Beautiful Tiffany lily-shaped lights hang above the front door. The main entrance, called the Foyer, has many Art Nouveau details. The doors also feature European Art Nouveau designs.
- The Library: To the left of the hall, the library is lit by more Tiffany Studio lights. This room was a central gathering spot. It has original chandeliers and lights, Art Nouveau furniture by Louis Majorelle, and a Steinway grand piano.
- The Dining Room: Like the library, the dining room also has Art Nouveau details. It has special pocket doors with Art Nouveau designs. The room features unique Tiffany globe lights shaped like water lilies, which were said to be one of Mrs. Knight's favorite flowers. Hand-carved lily designs also decorate the wood paneling around the room.
- The Kitchen: The kitchen was very modern for its time. It had a stove that could use both gas and coal or wood. There were also two electric refrigerators powered by motors in the basement. The kitchen had worktables, two sinks, and lots of equipment. The rose-colored tiles in the kitchen were added to honor their head cook, Mary Rose Alvernas. Large bay windows in the kitchen offer great views of the Currituck Sound.
- Staff Dining Room: This room was for the full-time servants who lived with the Knights. Not much is known about its original look, except that the walls were light blue. It also had a mission-style china cabinet and a gas stove.
- The Gun Room: Located between the formal parts of the house and the servant's area, this room was practical. It had a gun rack and a cabinet for hunting supplies and valuable items.
- Edward Knight's Office: This office was where Edward Knight might have handled his business. It showed his many interests, from work to hunting and even drawing. The office had a nice desk, a fancy cast-iron safe, chairs, and small drawings by Mr. Knight.
Second Floor
The second floor has separate master bedrooms for Mr. and Mrs. Knight.
- Louise Knight's Bedroom: Her room reflected her French background. It had blue-painted furniture in the style of Louis XVI, matching tables, chairs, a folding screen, and a chaise longue. Her private bathroom had a sink, mirror, toilet, bidet, and a claw-foot tub with separate faucets for fresh and salt water.
- Edward Knight Jr.'s Bedroom: A door connects his room to his wife's, and they shared a porch. His bedroom décor was inspired by the colonial era, honoring his ancestors. It had furniture in the Colonial Revival style, including a tall bed with pineapple decorations and old-fashioned lights.
- Guest Bedrooms: There are four connected guest bedrooms, each uniquely colored based on the Art Nouveau movement. They are called the Lilac Room, Green Room, Pink Room, and Blue Room. Each room was comfortably furnished with mahogany furniture from the 1920s.
- Servant's Quarters: Further down the hall were more rooms for the full-time staff.
Third Floor
The third floor has more bedrooms for full-time staff. It also included a small apartment for Mr. Knight's trusted valet, Mr. Starkey, and his family. This room had a full bed, a child's bed, chairs, storage closets, and a gas stove for heat in winter. It had blue tiles around the stove and Tiffany glass light fixtures with wavy designs.
The Basement
The basement is 6,000 square feet and was a big engineering achievement. Dirt dug from the new boat basin helped support its brick walls. The walls are 18 inches thick and supported by steel beams.
The basement was used for storage and services. It had 16 rooms, including a wine cellar, a root cellar, and a laundry room with an electric washing machine. It also had bins that could hold 125 tons of coal for a hot water heater and a furnace, which heated the house up to the second floor. Today, the basement has exhibits that share more about the home's history.
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