Architecture

In 1922, Edward Collings Knight, Jr. purchased the old Lighthouse Club property on the Currituck Outer Banks.  He and his wife, Marie-Louise LeBel Knight, then began to oversee the building of a new private residence where they could enjoy the excellent waterfowl hunting in the area and entertain guests. They renamed the property “Corolla Island” due to the canals and boat basin that were dredged and which made the house site a literal island. The residence was finished by 1925 and the Knights then had the old Lighthouse Club which sat a short ways to the south torn down.

The exterior house design the Knights chose is a mixture of styles. The building’s long narrow shape, its steep roof pitch, its many gables, and its broad chimneys are typical of the nostalgic Philadelphia Style, which combined features from historic Pennsylvania farmhouses and English Arts & Craft influences. At the same time, the gables’ curved roofs, the frieze, the casement windows, and bright yellow paint give the flavor of a French country house.  Photo by Brad Hamilton

The house is one of the most opulent Art Nouveau structures in The United States of America. Art Nouveau is a decorative style that began in Europe in the late nineteenth century, hit its peak around 1900, and fell out of favor at the beginning of World War I. Its main characteristics are flowing lines and abstract motifs inspired by nature. Interestingly all of the Art Nouveau predates the house by twenty years and came from an earlier structure that Mrs. Knight owned in Middletown, Rhode Island and was torn down.

The identity of the architect of Corolla Island or even if there was a professional architect is not known. Surviving plans appear to have been drawn by an engineer rather than an architect. Either way, a high level of skill went into building the structure. Mr. Knight hired a respected Norfolk building contractor, John Kelbaugh, to manage the construction and the shipping of the building materials, most of which were precut and ready to assemble, from the mainland. The identity of at least sixteen other builders and craftsmen who worked on the residence is known. From Rhode Island where the Knights owned another residence came Daniel Peckham and A.D. Vargas. T.O. Spraggins from Spraggins and Woodfin Carpenters, John M. Wilson, a plumber, and R.A. Post, a pipe fitter came from Norfolk to work on the building. More locally, the Knights hired A.W. Beasley, C.H. Perry, R.L. Knight, Thomas Caroon, W.W. Best, W.H Walker, J.N. Garrenton, G.F. Garrington, A.F. Lane, and Paul Gallop.

The first part of the construction involved expert on-site engineering to create a stable mix of soils on which to build a large and heavy house. Pilings were then driven into the ground and a foundation set for a 21,000 square foot house. A brick walled basement was then built which included brass plumbing pipes and a French drain system. Dredged earth from the boat basin and canals was built up around the basement walls. Coal bins were built in the basement to supply the hot water heater and the furnace. To ensure that the house had electricity and water, lines were buried under the sand and canal to connect the house to a diesel motor and a 2,200 gallon electric Delco pumping system in the boat house.

A three story house with an attic was then built over this cellar. Eighteen inch thick walls (three brick layers) were constructed and steel beams used to frame the house. Workers built eighteen dormers and five chimneys. Double casement windows were made from juniper. Exterior wood trim and siding of cypress was installed and painted a bright yellow. To top it off, copper shingles each with seven individual folds covered the entire roof.

Inside the house, the walls and ceiling material is clear southern pine half lap and tongue and groove joints, also called corduroy for its resemblance to the cloth. Cork floors were installed which were easy to keep clean and did well in the humid atmosphere of the Outer Banks. Bright paint colors and tiles were chosen for many of the rooms.

The house was built with ingenious ventilation methods. For example the center chimney was not connected to a fireplace; rather, it was used as a natural air conditioner. By adjusting the two windows in the wall of the chimney in the attic, hot air was forced upwards thus cooling the house. Corolla Island was certainly built to withstand the harsh elements and to make living on the Outer Banks of North Carolina as comfortable as possible for the Knights and their guests. Photo courtesy of Brad Hamilton