From the Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall

In 1997, Tick Hall, a historic seaside home owned by former talk show host Dick Cavett and his wife, Carrie Nye, was destroyed by a fire that left little more than the chimney. For most houses, that would have been the end, but for Tick Hall, the devastating loss simply ushered in a new chapter in the house's century-long history. The couple decided to rebuild--a monumental task considering the original blueprints were not available--and filmmaker Scott Morris chronicles the process, along the way interweaving old photos, as well as interviews with the Cavetts, historians, architects, and craftsmen, to create a stunning tapestry of the life of Tick Hall. Built for a wealthy New York family in the late 1880s, Tick Hall earned its name from a group of friends and lawyers who purchased it in the 1920s. After picking insects off their clothes and dogs each evening, the group dubbed the place Tick Hall, a name that was “appropriate, humble, and inevitable.” The men were Ticks, such as “Tick” Tweed and “Tick” Clark, while the women were Tickesses, and the children Tickettes. The Cavetts purchased the house in the '60s and have owned it ever since. It was Carrie Nye who suggested they rebuild “to get on with their lives” after the fire, and the pair found an architectural firm willing to tackle the project, relying on old pictures, surveys, memories of the owners, and whatever was dug up to bring Tick Hall, like a phoenix, out of the ashes. A fine addition to programs on “forensic architecture,” such as Restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Heurtley House (VL-7/03), this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Asala)