FRANK and DAVID STICK

FRANK STICK (1884-1966)

Frank Stick was a native Dakotan. He studied at Chicago Art Institute and under the renowned Howard Pyle before building a studio in Interlaken NJ. His original paintings appeared on calendars and on the covers of popular magazines like Field and Stream. In 1929 he settled his family on Roanoke Island and helped establish the first national seashore at Cape Hatteras, the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. In 1947, Stick finally realized his dream of creating an ocean-to-soundfront community which he dubbed Southern Shores. Stick purchased the 2,600 acres, about 4 square miles, along what is now Route 12 for $30,000. As of 2016, it was valued around $430 million. The area, part of which is shown below, incorporated into a town in 1979.

Video: 2014 Southern Shores' Flat Top Houses

DAVID STICK (1919-2009)

Frank Stick's son David was born in New Jersey. His father began taking family trips to the Outer Banks in the early 1920s, buying property. The family moved to Roanoke Island in 1929, and as a teenager Stick wrote a column for the Elizabeth City Independent. He enrolled at the University of North Carolina but, as he would later say, "flunked out." He later helped write the Coastal Area Management Act legislation, which governed conservation and coastal development in North Carolina. He lived in Kitty Hawk and was the first mayor of Southern Shores. Stick also was the first licensed real estate broker in Dare County and a co-founder in 1982 of the Outer Banks Community Foundation. His massive collection of northeastern North Carolina maps, charts, books and papers is at the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo. One story Stick told was how Amelia Earhart wrapped him in her arms in 1928, for a ride along sand paths in a pickup to the 25th anniversary commemoration of the first flight by the Wright brothers. Stick, then 8 years old, met Orville Wright at the event.

David (left) and Frank (right).

The Flat Top Documentation Project: Has 31 Stick cottages, with extensive information including photos and plans. Surviving flattops are an ever-decreasing breed as mega-beach-houses take over the Outer Banks. Many thanks to Lewis Forrest and the Friends of the Outer Banks History Center, plus architect Chris Nason of Beacon Architecture and Design for this massive research project. Please read "Read me first" after accessing and unzipping the large 9G zip file, which will take a while to download. How to get it: right click on this link, and save to your hard drive. You may get a message saying this cannot be downloaded securely, but it can. NCModernist will integrate this information into the archive below during 2024. See also the Flat Top Cottages of Southern Shores.

1942 - 176 Ocean Boulevard, Southern Shores NC. Sold in the 1990s to Coran Capshaw. Sold to Andrew Dondero and Joseph Michael Hall. Sold in 2018 Deborah A. and John T. Price.

1948 - The McMullan Cottage, 80 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Designed by David Stick. Sold to the Cynthia Estridge Trust. Photo by Aycock Brown.

1947 - The Frank Stick/Miller House (top photo, left), 60 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Sold to Arch Street Associates. Destroyed in 2003, replaced in 2004 by house in bottom photo. Top and middle photos by Aycock Brown.

1948 - The Huntington Cairns House (top right), 58 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Designed by Frank Stick. Sold in 1989 to Marian and Thomas Hutchens but by then the flat roof has been removed. Destroyed, and a new house built in 1998 (bottom photo).

1948 - The Haserot Cottage, Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Designed by David Stick. Destroyed in 1998. Photo by Aycock Brown.

1948 - The Taylor-Smith-Covington Cottage, 44 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Designed by David Stick. Sold to Joe and Janet Covington, who restored the house over a two-year period in the 1990s. Destroyed in 2012.

1949 - The Sellers Cottage, 124 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Designed by Frank Stick. Sold to Jay J. and Persis H. Richter. Sold to Michael Morgan. Destroyed around 2002 to build a new house, bottom photo. B/W photo by Aycock Brown.

1950 - 98 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Sold in 2007 to Beverly Phillips, Trustee for Joseph D. Brooks and Frances T. Brooks. Destroyed.

1950 - The Brad and Ruth Smith House, 100 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Designed by Frank Stick. Sold to Ted and Marylou Millican who did an extensive renovation and expansion designed by Jude LeBlanc. Sold in 1994 to Ben Garrett and Bob de Gabrielle. Sold in 1997 to Ben Garrett. Sold in 2005 to Forrest Bartlett.

1953 - 13 Skyline Road, Kitty Hawk NC. Designed by Frank Stick. Privately owned until 2007 when it was given to Outer Banks Community Foundation for offices. In 2009, the Foundation established the Flat Top Preservation Fund expressly for the preservation of the cottage. B/W photo by Aycock Brown.

1954 - The George and Clara Clarke House, 156 Wax Myrtle Trail, Kitty Hawk NC. Needs verification as a Stick design. Sold to James and Rebecca Mauch. Sold in 2009 to Steve and Sally Gudas. A Southern Shores historic landmark.

1955 - The Dunn Cottage, aka the Roth Cottage, aka Pink House, 220 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Designed by Frank Stick. Painted pink with white trim. Sold in 1963 to Martin and Barbara Roth. Sold in 2001 to James and Veronica Kiernan. Destroyed in 2001 and replaced in 2002 (bottom photo). B/W photo by Aycock Brown.

1955 - 119 Ocean Boulevard, Southern Shores NC. Sold to Jim and Debbie Millis. Photo by Alva Horton.

1955 - The James T. Wilkinson Jr. Cottage, 39 Ocean Boulevard, Southern Shores NC. Built by Moonlight Construction in Murfreesboro NC. Photo by Alva Horton. Deeded to his daughter, Perrin Wilkinson Gardner.

1956 - The Powell House, 43 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Deeded to Joan H. Powell and Michelle H. Harritt. Photo by Alva Horton.

1959 - 69 Ocean Boulevard, Kitty Hawk NC. Photo by Alva Horton. Sold to Patricia Farinholt.

Sources include: Outer Banks History Center; Outer Banks Architecture by Marimar McNaughton; Pilot Online.