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Dr. Dan L. Morrill The Court Arcade was erected in 1927-28 in the midst of what was then a fashionable residential neighborhood on East Ave., now E. Trade St. Initially occupied by attorneys, it was built to take advantage of the nearby Mecklenburg County Courthouse, which opened across the street on March 10, 1928. 1 The architect was William H. Peeps (1868-1950), an architect of local and regional importance who had come to Charlotte in 1905 from Grand Rapids, Mich. A native of London, England, Peeps designed several imposing edifices in this community, including the Ivey's Department Store and the Hovis Mortuary (now Queen City Television) on N. Tryon St. and several grand houses in Myers Park. 2 His most noteworthy local achievement was the Latta Arcade on S. Tryon St., which he fashioned in 1914 for Edward Dilworth Latta, president of the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company. 3 The design of the Court Arcade is Neoclassical, in keeping with Louis Asbury's majestic courthouse on E. Trade St. 4 In my judgment, the most significant architectural features of the building are the front facade, the entry hallway and the arcade section at the rear. Illustrative of Peeps' reputation in this community were the editorial comments which the Charlotte Observer made immediately following his death on September 10, 1950. "Charlotte and North Carolina lost a good and useful citizen," the newspaper asserted. 5 I believe that the Court Arcade occupies an important place in Peeps' career, especially as a counterpoint to a more embellished design of Latta Arcade, which, by the way, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Notes1 Sanborn Insurance Map of Charlotte (1929) Vol 1, p. 11.
Charlotte City Directory, 1930), p. 1224. Jack O. Boyte & Dan L. Morrill,
"Survey and Research Report on the Mecklenburg County Courthouse." (April 5,
1977). George W. Hamilton, ed., William H Peeps. A.I.A. Architect,
Charlotte, NC (News Printing House, Charlotte, N.C., 1928). 3 Dan L. Morrill, "Survey and Research Report on Latta Arcade and Brevard Court". (September 7, 1977). 4 Boyte & Morrill, Survey and Research Report on the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. 5 The Charlotte Observer (September 13, 1950) p. 10A.
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