As of April 2016, The Clam Digger (also spelled
Clamdigger) Inn has new owners. Before the start of the 2017 beach season, they
erected a new roadside sign identifying it as “The Inn at Pine Knoll Shores.”
The following post is an update of a September 2008 Shoreline article
entitled “The Birth of a Landmark."
Imagine the western section of Pine Knoll Shores
without Beacon’s Reach and without any major landmarks other than the old Iron
Steamer Pier, and you have a good picture of the site Melvin Mansfield, Sr.,
and his wife, Edna, selected for a hotel in 1973, one year before the town
officially incorporated. Attracted by dense maritime forest and an unspoiled
beach, the Mansfields purchased land from the Roosevelt family. The plan was to
build a nine-story hotel and name it The Clam Digger. Two unexpected events
made the Mansfields change their plans.
Building height restrictions passed while the hotel
was under construction forced the first change and limited the hotel to seven
floors. Actually, the initial building height ordinance passed in 1974 stated:
“No building or structure of any kind shall exceed five stories or fifty feet
in height, exclusive of elevator shafts, air-conditioning or other necessary
mechanical equipment, the height of which shall not exceed ten feet.” However,
probably because the Mansfields had already begun construction, their inn
exceeded this limit. In fact, a 1983 Shoreline
feature article claimed it was “...not only the tallest structure in PKS, but
the highest in Carteret County . . . “— a claim that if true then is no longer
true for Carteret County.
After construction was completed came the second
change. The Mansfields decided to affiliate with a national franchise, so
instead of opening as The Clam Digger, the hotel opened as a Ramada Inn.
In 2006, operating the business as a Ramada seemed
no longer financially beneficial. Heirs of the original owners decided to
return to their parents’ initial plan, give up the franchise, and rename the
hotel The Clam Digger. Today’s owners advertise as “The Inn at Pine Knoll
Shores,” but the restaurant and lounge retain their original names: The Clam
Digger Restaurant and Cutty Sark Lounge.
Updated Cutty Sark Lounge
The Mansfields’ land purchase extended east of the
inn and included a lot across the street, where Beacon’s Reach wastewater plant
is now located. They sold this property back to the Roosevelts around 1977, but
retained rights for hooking up to the sewer system, which the Roosevelts had
planned. A right The Inn has retained.
The height, central location and popularity of The
Clam Digger have made it a Pine Knoll Shores landmark. When giving directions
to visitors, locals often describe a turn-off location as a certain distance
east or west of The Ramada/Clamdigger. Beach walkers use it as a destination
and turning-around point. Boaters talk about it not only as an orientation
point for cruising along the beach but also as a navigational marker for
crossing from the Intracoastal Waterway to an interior channel. One route according
to local lore is about 100 yards west of bouy12: “Take a hard right and put
your bow on the old Ramada Inn.”
Over the years, the Mansfields expanded the hotel’s
restaurant, upgraded guest rooms and added meeting space, but the building
remained relatively unchanged. It has survived several hurricanes. The worst
from the hotel’s perspective was Floyd in 1999, which caused extensive interior
water damage and exterior siding damage, forcing The Ramada to close for one
month.
In February 2015, a fire broke out in The Clam
Digger laundry area, which is a building separate from the hotel. The room was
unoccupied, no one was injured, and fire damage was repaired.
The Inn has 102 rooms, a full-service lounge and
restaurant, outside pool with a bar, and meeting facilities for up to 160
people. Its beach is a popular sunning, swimming and fishing site. Evening
light shining from the main building across the ocean attracts thousands of
seabirds, an almost mystical site for nighttime beachgoers.
Until selling The Clam Digger, members of the
Mansfield family—among them Melvin, Jr., his wife Julie, and Ruth
Kilpatrick—actively participated in hotel operations. They attributed The Inn’s
year-round success to having reasonable rates; all oceanfront rooms; consistent,
affordable food; and many large groups coming back year after year.
According to www.LoopNet.com, the
Clam Digger, at 511 Salter Path Road, was sold at auction, on December 17,
2015. ARIM The Inn, LLC, is the legal name of the new owner. ARIM, American Residential Investment Management, is a real-estate investment group located in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializing in multi-family dwellings. The Inn’s
current General Manager, Alyce Kelly, stated that the official date when ARIM
assumed ownership was April 12, 2016.
The Inn's New Interior Design Features
The outside appearance of the building is more or less the same, but
many changes have been made. All guest and meeting rooms, the restaurant and
bar have been renovated— giving an updated, more contemporary look to The Inn.
A new sign with The Inn’s chair logo is on Salter Path Road, and the
same logo identifies The Inn at Pine Knoll Shores on blue beach umbrellas along
the hotel’s oceanfront.
The Inn’s Beachfront
Ms. Kelly indicated that the emphasis on hospitality is the same and the
restaurant, still serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, has maintained
weekday special offerings as well. Many former guests continue to return, and
new guests arrive. This landmark inn survives.