Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission

09/28/2026

The Historic Landmarks Commission's Survey Committee will meet Wednesday, September 30, at 6 p.m. to consider adding several properties to the Study List of Prospective Historic Landmarks: https://meck.co/3TJXjaN

What is the Study List? The first step of historic landmark designation is for a property to be placed on this list. Any building, structure, site, area, or object within Mecklenburg County that is at least 50 years old can be nominated by anyone for the Study List. That's right, anyone - including YOU! - can nominate a property!

Although not every property on the Study List ends up as a designated landmark, all nominated properties are researched and documented. It's a big County we live in with plenty of unique and interesting historic resources, and we need your help identifying them!

If you know of a property you think we should look into, tell us here: https://meck.co/3JBY25m

📷: Hoskins Mill Village House, 119 Goff Street, Charlotte; Moody House, 949 Granville Road, Charlotte; and Yandell's General Store, 116 W. John Street, Matthews

09/24/2026

Historic Landmarks staff members were busy this summer distributing QR code placards to designated historic landmarks throughout Mecklenburg County.

Our latest stops included the Crowell-Berryhill Store (now known as Alexander Michael's), Myrtle Square Apartments, Dilworth Methodist Church South (now known as Leluia Hall), and the Leeper and Wyatt Store. Representatives of these properties were excited to receive the placards, which take users to a property-specific webpage that includes resources such as that property's registered designation ordinance and designation report just by scanning the QR code.

If you own a designated landmark and would like a QR code placard for your property, let us know: https://hl.mecknc.gov/

09/22/2026

Rosedale is a Federal-style home that was completed by Charlotte postmaster and tax collector Archibald Frew in 1815. The house was built five miles outside of what was then the small town of Charlotte and included 911 acres of timber and farmland.

Frew's neighbors often referred to the house as “Frew’s Folly” because many of them believed such an elaborate home in that mostly rural area would likely bankrupt Frew. This speculation almost came true as Frew nearly lost his home due to economic difficulties.

Frew held on to his house and, following his death in 1823, the house passed through the Frew, Caldwell, and Davidson families for over 150 years. As those families relied upon enslaved labor to maintain their agricultural operations for much of that time, Rosedale was also the home of at least 46 identified enslaved persons prior to the abolition of slavery.

In 1993, Historic Rosedale opened to the public as a living museum - the oldest Federal frame home still standing in Charlotte. The restored property includes nine acres with the historic house, a recreated blacksmith shop, and extensive gardens.

Rosedale is located at 3427 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte. For more on its history: https://meck.co/4hjlSmy

09/18/2026

On September 18, 1989, the Mayfair Manor was designated as a local historic landmark.

This 10-story, Neoclassical-influenced hotel was designed by Louis H. Asbury, one of North Carolina's first professionally trained architects. It opened in 1929, featuring intricate tile and marble work, a lobby with walnut woodwork and bronze fixtures, and the latest in kitchen technology. The rooms included such innovative amenities as Murphy beds, individual telephone service, and both bathtubs and showers.

The hotel's original owners were Dr. James Pleasant Matheson and Dr. Clarence Napoleon Peeler, two of the co-founders of the Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital. Although the stock market crash that launched the Great Depression happened just one month before Mayfair Manor opened, the hotel thrived during this period.

Over the years, the building went through frequent ownership changes, leaving it neglected and largely vacant until 1987 when the Dunhill Hotel Associates purchased and renovated the structure. The building is now known as the Dunhill Hotel. Its frequent events celebrating the hotel's history have made this a popular spot for both locals and visitors.

The Mayfair Manor is located at 237 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte. For more on this property's history: https://meck.co/4Ag9ufJ

09/15/2026

The Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden was recently recognized as having statewide historic significance! This recognition means both the house and garden are of a unique historical, cultural, and/or architectural importance to the entire state of North Carolina, and this status provides the property with additional protections from demolition not otherwise available to properties designated as historic landmarks.

Statewide significance designation is extremely rare. The Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden is now the third existing property in Mecklenburg County to be recognized by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. The Hezekiah Alexander Rock House, constructed in 1774, and the Johnston Building, which dates back to 1924, also have the statewide significance designation.

Elizabeth Lawrence was a prolific writer and landscape architect and is regarded as one of the preeminent figures in Southern horticultural history. She oversaw construction of the house at 348 Ridgewood Avenue and transformed her home garden into a living laboratory, growing a variety of plants to determine what grows best in this climate and how to care for them. Her property is now part of Wing Haven and is on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a Charlotte designated local historic landmark.

Thank you to everyone who made this designation possible, especially our very own Historic Preservation Specialist Tommy Warlick and Historic Landmarks Intern Rachael Brown who worked diligently on the statewide significance designation application for this property.

For more on the history of the Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden: https://meck.co/4v5KRyM

09/10/2026

Join us on September 12 and September 19 to hear more about the Torrence-Lytle High School redevelopment and preservation project.

Torrence-Lytle School opened in 1937 as the only public high school for African Americans in northern Mecklenburg County. This school provided African American residents of Pottstown and surrounding neighborhoods with their first opportunity to attend a public high school where they lived. Grades 1-11 were offered in the seven-room school - originally known as the Huntersville Colored School - and included 181 students and five teachers (three for elementary school, two for high school).

The school was renamed in 1953 to honor Isaiah Dale “Ike” Torrence and Franklin Lytle, two men instrumental to the school's establishment. It closed in 1966 in the wake of U.S. Supreme Court rulings declaring segregation unconstitutional and was then used for other purposes, including as an alternative learning facility and a community recreation center. The school site is currently vacant.

The upcoming community meetings will include presentations for the adaptive reuse of the site. Little Sugar Creek Developments will present on September 12 and DreamKey Partners will present on September 19. Both meetings will have an opportunity for the public to provide feedback and will be held from 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the David B. Waymer Recreation Center at 14008 Holbrooks Road, Huntersville.

If you have any questions about these meetings, let us know: https://hl.mecknc.gov/

09/09/2026

The Historic Landmarks Commission welcomes your thoughts on six recommended historic landmark designations.

You're invited to attend the Historic Landmarks Commission meeting on September 14, where public hearings for the designations of the following will be held:

- McClintock Presbyterian Church (14008 Erwin Road, Charlotte)
- Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church Cemeteries #1 and #2 (335 W. Craighead Road and 4130 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte)
- Jefferson-First Union Tower (301 S. Tryon Street, Charlotte)
- Hajoca Building (1447 S. Tryon Street, Charlotte)
- Liddell-McNinch House (511 N. Church Street, Charlotte)
- Freeman House (145 S. Ames Street, Matthews)

Visit HL.MeckNC.gov for information on attending this meeting or to learn more about these properties.

09/07/2026

While Labor Day has become synonymous with barbecues, parades, and the end of summer, this holiday celebrating the achievements of American workers wouldn't be possible without the labor movement fighting for safer working conditions.

Today, Heist Brewery is a fun place to kick back and grab a drink, but things there weren't always so relaxed. In 1919, 150 workers at Highland Park Mill No. 3 (now the site of the brewery and Highland Mill Lofts) went on strike to protest reduced pay and hours. Workers at Highland Park Mill No. 1 (now Optimist Hall) supported Mill No. 3 through a sympathetic strike.

Here's a final thought from a striking Mill No. 3 worker:

"We are not kickers and are willing to work as hard as anybody, but we can't live on the reduced wages. We don't think there is any call to make the reduction now because when the peace treaty is signed there will be the biggest demand for textile goods there ever has been and we know that textile mills have made big profits since the war begun and we don't think there is any call to cut down our wages now."

For more on the history of these mills: https://meck.co/3K0JIae

09/03/2026

One place to explore Charlotte's history.

That's what you'll find at Charlotte's new digital history hub, QC History. This project is run by Nolan Dahm, a public historian whose goal is to gather Charlotte's history into one place.

While the site is still a work in progress, it already contains interactive maps, videos, and a variety of resources to help you learn more about Charlotte's history.

Check it out here:

The footage, the maps, and the records of Charlotte's past, gathered in one place.