Whalehead Club

One of the best examples of Art Nouveau architecture in the US, the Whalehead Club was built on the Currituck Outer Banks of North Carolina by wealthy heir Edward Collings Knight, Jr. and his second wife in the 1920s. The region was paradise for a waterfowl hunting enthusiast like Knight, and he spared no expense in constructing the 21,000 square foot home. 

The opulent house, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Outer Banks, had electricity and indoor plumbing installed, a rarity in the sparsely populated region at the time. The land it was built on became an island called Corolla Island when a channel was dredged and flooded on its western edge.

The Knights, resident in Rhode Island and Philadelphia during the rest of the year, spent nine summers there until 1936 when they both died and the house was sold. In the ensuing decades the building was a Coast Guard bunker, a boys' school, and a military testing site.  

Today the house and property has been restored to its original Art Deco beauty, and visitors can enjoy an extensive audio tour across 4 floors. It's a great place for an air conditioned break in a hot day, and includes a custom Steinway grand piano, original hand blown Tiffany lampshades, the original ornate, cast iron safe and much more.