1. Historical Background. The Southern Public Utilities Company, a subsidiary of Southern Power Company, now Duke Energy, erected the trolley barn at Bland St. and South Boulevard in 1914. The building was doubled in size during World War One to maintain trolley service for the thousands of soldiers who came to train at Camp Greene, a major U.S. Army base established on the southwestern outskirts of the city. In 1934, motorbuses began replacing electric streetcars, and the last trolley, Streetcar 85, was removed from service in March 1938. That same year the arched classical façade on the front of the carbarn was demolished to make the building more usable by buses. The remainder of the original carbarn survives.

The building continued as Duke’s bus barn until 1955, when Duke Power Company went out of the transportation business. City Coach leased the structure until 1957 and then moved to its own bus garage on North Brevard St. Thereafter, Duke Power Company used the building for a variety of purposes, including a truck garage, storage facility, and a location for offices. Accordingly, further changes were made to the former carbarn, in 1963, 1969, and 1974, when the building assumed its present appearance, including a three-story office building on the south side designed by Charlotte architect Jack O. Boyte.

2. Historic Landmarks Commission Recommendation. The Commission voted unanimously on August 12, 2002, to recommend the designation of the Southern Public Utilities Barn as a historic landmark subject to the following considerations and conditions.

b. THE TAX PARCEL TO BE DESIGNATED SHOULD INCLUDE ALL OF THE CAR BARN OR A PORTION ADEQUATE TO CONVEY THE BUILDING’S HISTORICAL MEANING.

c. WITH THE AID OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION THE BUILDING’S FAÇADE SHALL BE RECONSTRUCTED OF LIKE MATERIALS TO THAT OF ITS PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE.

d. EXTANT HISTORICAL FEATURES SHALL BE RETAINED.

e. THE BUILDING’S NEW USE SHALL BE COMPATIBLE WITH ITS ASSOCIATIVE HISTORY.

f. DUE TO THE LOSS OF ORIGINAL FABRIC, THE CAR BARN’S RENOVATION AND REUSE SHALL INCLUDE INTERPRETATION OF THE BUILDING’S ORIGINAL FABRIC, THE CAR BARN’S RENOVATION AND REUSE SHALL INCLUDE INTERPRETATION OF THE BUILDING’S ORIGINAL USE.

g. SURROUNDING NEW DEVELOPMENT SHALL BE SENSITIVE IN SIZE, SCALE, MASSING AND STYLE TO THE CAR BARN.

3. Current Status. The owner of the building, Crescent Resources, intends to undertake the development of a major mixed use project, named Manchester, at the site of the Southern Public Utilities Streetcar Barn. It additionally plans to incorporate a portion, approximately the size of the 1914-era carbarn, into Manchester, if the structure becomes the home of Charlotte’s vintage streetcar line and a museum operated by Charlotte Trolley, Inc. Otherwise the building will be demolished.

The Historic Landmarks Commission has not yet asked the Charlotte City Council to designate the Southern Public Utilities Streetcar Barn as a historic landmark, because it recognizes the need to work cooperatively with the present owner if the building is to be preserved. It most certainly will move forward with the designation process if all parties work together to assure the building’s survival as part of the Manchester project.

The Historic Landmarks Commission has been involved with vintage trolleys since 1982. It is most appreciative that the Board of County Commissioners contributed a portion of the funds used to restore Streetcar 85, the last trolley to operate in the original streetcar fleet. The Historic Landmarks Commission owns Streetcar 85 and is most interested in being on-going stewards of this indispensable cultural artifact.

The Historic Landmarks Commission has voted to recommend the designation of the Southern Public Utilities Streetcar Barn as an historic landmark and believes that the restored portion of the building will uniquely serve the public good by making the public more aware of the importance of electric streetcars in contributing mightily to the emergence of Charlotte as a major commercial and industrial center in the Piedmont Carolinas in the early 1900s.