45 F
Wrightsville Beach
Friday, March 29, 2024

Tour four and toast a landmark during preservation celebration finale

Must read

Celebrated statewide, Preservation North Carolina’s 75th anniversary culminates in Wrightsville Beach with a nod to the 50th birthday of the Blockade Runner Beach Resort, Sunday, Nov. 9. The afternoon begins with a buffet-style lunch served from noon-2 p.m. offering tour goers a chance to meet up or mingle while exploring the Blockade Runner’s recently renovated Mid-Century Modern lobby. The self-paced tour of homes begins at 1 p.m. Each address is within walking distance of the landmark hotel at 275 Waynick Blvd.

Four historic beach cottages — the Fishblate-Bellamy Cottage, the Davis-Smith Cottage, the MacRae Cottage and the resort’s own vacation cottage — will open for a leisurely walk through attended by volunteer docents.

Located in the 300 block of South Lumina Avenue are the MacRae Cottage, owned by Hugh and Bambi MacRae; and the Fishblate-Bellamy Cottage, owned by Lillian Bellamy Boney. The Fishblate-Bellamy Cottage dates to 1890, making it one of the oldest developed properties on Wrightsville Beach. Built for Solomon H. Fishblate, mayor of Wilmington from 1878-1898, the home was purchased by John D. Bellamy in 1950. The central structure was destroyed in 1954 during Hurricane Hazel, leaving a detached kitchen and a pair of servants’ quarters that now comprise this unique complex featuring many architectural details featured in “Historic Architecture of New Hanover County North Carolina,” published in 1986.

To the north of the Blockade Runner, in the 200 block of South Lumina Avenue, the Davis-Landis Cottage is the summer home of Ginny Anne Landis Smith. Built in 1925 by Holmes Davis, the home was later occupied by the Johnston family who ran a tea room there. Stacked oceanfront porches are an architectural feature of this cottage purchased in 1965 by members of the Landis family, who trace their roots to the Landis Hotel. At the time of purchase, the cottage was furnished with authentic rattan and wicker pieces still in use today.

Immediately next door to the Davis-Landis Cottage is the Blockade Runner’s Cottage, a circa 1930s guest home boasting 13 bedrooms and nine baths. Interior features include the generously proportioned central staircase and second level mezzanine. Exterior porches frame splendid views of the Atlantic Ocean and Banks Channel.

The Bellamy Mansion Museum is hosting the event with tour partners, the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History and the Blockade Runner Beach Resort. Reservations are $35 and can be made by calling 910-251-2700.

- Advertisement -spot_img

More articles

- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest articles