“This whole house, wildly out of place as it appears to the uninitiated, is a monument to things wild, bold, and beautiful.”  –Bryan Mims in Our State Magazine

The Whalehead Club is a 21,000 square foot hunt club and home located in Corolla, North Carolina.  Built in 1925, the Whalehead Club was originally known as Corolla Island.  At the time, there were no roads and the home was surrounded by water.  Built by Edward Collings Knight Jr., the Whalehead Club was an overwintering site picked largely for its access to the migratory flyway used by many birds.

Designed within the Art Nouveau style, the Whalehead Club is highly decorated with bright yellow paint, copper roofing tiles, brass plumbing, mahogany doors, and many beautiful design elements throughout the interior and exterior of the home.  Art Nouveau is said to draw upon natural forms, with many curving lines modeled after birds and plants.  What could be more perfect for a home designed for birds on the Currituck Sound in coastal North Carolina?

Of many unique qualities, the Whalehead Club has a full basement, as well as an enormous generator and water pump housed in the nearby boathouse (Corolla Island was generating it’s own power and water at a time when there was no public utility).  The home was renamed Whalehead Club by the second owner, and went through a number of other rather interesting uses before becoming neglected.  In 1992, the Whalehead Club underwent a full restoration and was returned to it’s original glory.

I admit to an initial indifference towards this place as a photographer of the Outer Banks.  I’m far more turned on by natural elements and natural forces than historic structures and stories.  Over time, however, I’ve come to appreciate the oddity that the Whalehouse Club represents:  the extreme wealth and outlandish ambition that had to come together for such a place to exist, let alone in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I find myself always finding some architectural detail or angle that interests me when I visit.  I’ve come to think that there is far more to learn from the Whalehead Club, visually, than I originally dismissed in my hurry to plant feet into the deep sands of the beach and to feel the swash of the ocean tides against my skin.

Camera:  Nikon D850
Lens:  Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8 @ 32mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  January 15, 2021
Settings:  f14, 30.0 seconds, iso-64