Applications

The Historic Landmarks Commission endeavors to save remnants of the historic built environment of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The most cost effective tool is for the Commission to purchase, refurbish, and sell historic landmarks, which include both buildings and sites. The Commission proposes to buy the properties with Land Bond money, refurbish the structures with its revolving fund, and then sell the properties with restrictive deed covenants to assure preservation. Both funds would then be reimbursed.

It is the purpose of this report to make a preliminary assessment of the properties that the Commission could use Land Bond money to acquire. Several of the properties are rural properties that contain substantial amounts of open space. Please be advised that it is impossible for the Commission to predict what properties might become endangered. Consequently, the list of priorities, especially those not in Group A, is prospective, not definitive. Also, the cost estimates for the projects listed in Group A are approximate.

List Of Prospective Projects.

1.  Edward M. Rozzell House. Land Bond Cost: $260,000

Edward M. Rozzell House. Old Rozzelles Ferry Road. The Edward M. Rozzell House is a reflection of the booming cotton economy of the post-bellum period in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and a well-preserved piece of the rapidly disappearing rural landscape in Mecklenburg County. Architecturally, the c. 1881 Rozzell House is an excellently preserved example of the single-pile, two-story I-house –the most popular house type in rural Mecklenburg County and across most of the South. The house, surrounded by fields, mature trees and several outbuildings (including a large intact well house and log barn with half-dovetail notching) retains its original rural setting.

2.   Ephraim Alexander McAuley House. Old Rozzelles Ferry Road. Special Note: The County has already used Land Bond money to purchase the land surrounding the house. The concept is that Land Bond money will absorb this expense. When the property is sold, the Land Bond money will be returned to the County. Land Bond Cost: $130,000.

Ephraim Alexander McAuley House. Alexanderana Road. The McAuley House, erected in 1881, was the work of local builder John Elis McAuley. A two-story log structure, it is especially noteworthy for its fine interior appointments, especially its vernacular Victorian mantels and woodwork. The house will be moved to an appropriate rural setting on Huntersville Concord Road.

3.  George and Elizabeth Oehler House. Huntersville-Concord Road. Special Note: The County has already used Land Bond money to purchase the land surrounding the house. The concept is that Land Bond money will absorb this expense. When the property is sold, the Land Bond money will be returned to the County. Land Bond Cost: $130,000.

George and Elizabeth Oehler House. Huntersville - Concord Road. Tradition holds that this house was built in the 1840s as the centerpiece of a cotton plantation. Inspection of the property suggests that the house might date from the 1860s or 1870s. The property's history is currently being researched.

4.  Cedar Grove Plantation. Gilead Road (approximately 20 acres of land). Land Bond Cost: $650,000.

Cedar Grove. Gilead Road. This 1831 - 1833 mansion is one of the few ante-bellum Mecklenburg County home believed to have been designed by an architect rather than a builder. Constructed in the Greek Revival style for James Torance. Materials came from both local sources and from the great cities of Charleston , Philadelphia, and New York. Torance opened his store in his parents old house in 1805 and was already prosperous when he inherited his parents fortune and property. This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a locally designated historic landmark.

5.  Charlotte Streetcar Barn. South Boulevard and Bland Sts. (building and surrounding land owned by Crescent Resources). Land Bond Cost: $6.5 million.

Charlotte Streetcar Barn. South Boulevard. Built shortly after 1900, the Charlotte Trolley Car Barn was the centerpiece of Charlotte's streetcar system. It was here that the streetcars were restored and maintained. The most serious labor unrest in Charlotte's history, the 1919 streetcar strike, occurred here. The building became a bus barn in the 1930s.

1.  Robinson House. Steele Creek Road.

Robinson House. Steele Creek Road. This house was likely constructed in three sections beginning in the mid-nineteenth century and is known for its long-term residents, the Robinson Family. The original owner, William Wallis Robinson was an important Steele Creek citizen serving in the Confederate Army and as superintendent of the county school board. The house is one-story and has a very complex roof structure covered with decoratively cut slate, quite rare in Mecklenburg County. One-over-one windows, two interior chimneys, mantles and overmantles are other features of this house. The front porch, which is not original, features a central, fluted pediment with square wood columns. This house is an excellent example of a one story dwelling for a well to do public servant during the last part of the nineteenth century. The property is a locally designated historic landmark.

2.  Grier House (including surrounding land). Tilley Morris Road

Grier House. McKee & Tilley Morris Roads. This is an excellent example of a pyramidal cottage. The pyramidal form was extremely popular in the early years of the twentieth century. It may also be called a transitional cottage form since it has influences from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The simple form is usually associated with owners of middle to lesser financial means. It is important to have such examples to give a complete summary of the history of rural Mecklenburg and its variety of people. The expansive fields are a lone survivor of the rural landscape in an area which is experiencing rapid and unremitting suburbanization. Additional research is underway to learn more about the history of this property, which was not included in the Gatza survey.

3.  Grier-Rea House. Rea Road.

Grier-Rea House. Rea Road. The Grier-Rea House, erected according to local tradition in 1804, is unquestionably one of the older plantation houses surviving in this portion of Mecklenburg County, which is experiencing rapid suburbanization. The house is a rare survivors from the rural built environment and landscape which once dominated this portion of Mecklenburg County

1.  Grace A.M.E. Zion Church. Brevard Street.

Grace A.M.E. Zion Church. Brevard Street. Among the people responsible for the establishment of Grace A.M.E. Zion Church in 1886 was W. C. Smith. A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Smith entered the printing trade and became the publisher of the Charlotte Messenger, a black newspaper that first appeared in June, 1882. A resolute abolitionist, Smith wanted to withdraw from Clinton Chapel, the city's oldest A.M.E. Zion congregation, and establish a new church. "The building of a new church is essential," Smith insisted, "to rid our youth of fogey ideas, sentiments, etc., and to bring them up to proper moral sentiments and religious beliefs."

2.  Mecklenburg Investment Company Building. Brevard Street.

This block of South Brevard Street between Third Street and Fourth Street became a sort of main street for Charlotte's African American community at the turn of the century. The development of this block was largely due to the efforts of two remarkable people. One was Thad L. Tate (1865-1951), who operated an uptown barber shop. Tate helped establish the Brevard Street branch of the public library, which used to stand on the upper end of the block. The other was Dr. J. T. Williams (1859-1924). A prominent and respected educator, physician, businessman and public servant, he built an elegant 3-story house in this block. Unfortunately, it was torn down in the 1970's.

Tate and Williams were among the leaders in overseeing the construction of the Mecklenburg Investment Company Building in 1922. The contractor was W. W. Smith, another enterprising black man. The Mecklenburg Investment Company Building was the first structure in Charlotte planned and executed by African Americans to accommodate black businesses, professional offices, and civic and fraternal organizations.

3. S. W. and C. S. Davis General Store. Bob Beatty Road.

S.W. & C.S. Davis General Store. Old Statesville Road. Opened by Silas W. Davis and his brother Charles in 1908, the store in this exceptional brick commercial building is still operating. The goods were delivered on the railroad in front of the property until the 1920s. Charles' farmhouse was located across the street from the store, while S.W.'s is located beside it. The signs still visible on the building enhance the character of this important resource. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a locally designated historic landmark.

1.  Thrift P&N Depot. Moore’s Chapel Road.

Thrift P&N Depot. Old Mt. Holly Road. The Thrift P&N Depot was completed in 1912 and designed by noted Charlotte architect C. C. Hook. It is the only P&N station remaining in Mecklenburg County. The station's condition is becoming increasingly unstable. This building is significant for its associations with an important local architect, as well as its importance as the only surviving Mecklenburg P & N station. It is also important for its role in the mill community of Thrift. The expansion of mills into the countryside was allowed by the growth of the railroads and had a major impact on the development of rural Mecklenburg as an increasing number of people chose to leave the farm and work at the mills.

2. John Milton Alexander House. Beatties Ford Road.

John Milton Alexander House. Beatties Ford Road. This interesting house was completed in 1874 and exhibits many unusual Folk Victorian decorative features. Alexander farmed forty-nine acres near the house and ran a blacksmith shop, cotton gin, and sawmill with his brother-in-law. Two tenant houses existed on the property in the 1870s. The house is in a deteriorated state and has been compromised by modern houses and mobile homes placed near it. None of its outbuildings still exist. It is still significant architecturally, however, for its paired windows, sunburst motif, and pendant brackets which create an exuberant dwelling uncommon in Mecklenburg County.

3.  Thomas Sandifer House. Moore’s Chapel Road.

Dr. Thomas T. Sandifer House. Moore's Chapel Road. The hipped roof I-house form has a rear shed addition and a 1940s porch. It was the seat of a 246 acres farm on the Catawba River. The house was built in the 1850s by Dr. Sandifer. It is one of a few remaining antebellum farmhouses in Mecklenburg County. Like many antebellum plantations, this house faced the Catawba River, a reminder of the river's importance in the lives of early Mecklenburgers. The property is also significant as the residence of an early Mecklenburg physician. The property is a locally designated historic landmark.

4. Eugene Wilson Hodges Farm. Rocky River Road.

Eugene Wilson Hodges Farm. Rocky River Road. Comprising about 187 acres this is an extremely valuable resource preserving agricultural life in the early twentieth century. The circa 1906 triple-A, I-house is accompanied by numerous outbuildings including a tenant house, chicken coops, dairy barns, sheds, well house, granary, silos, and other barns. This pristine farmstead is invaluable to preserving rural Mecklenburg County. The property is a locally designated historic landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.