Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission

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.

09/01/2026

Optimist Hall is a great example of how old buildings can be successfully adaptively reused to fit modern society.

Historically known as Highland Park Mill #1, this mill opened in 1892 as a gingham producer and operated as a textile mill until 2016. The site has been rehabilitated and rebranded as Optimist Hall, a very popular food hall.

Find Optimist Hall at 1115 N. Brevard Street, Charlotte. For more on its history: https://meck.co/4xFcC3r

08/27/2026

The most intact and best-preserved garden of the first woman graduate of N.C. State's landscape architecture program is right here in Charlotte.

In 1948, Elizabeth Lawrence purchased land on Ridgewood Avenue in Charlotte and oversaw construction of her late Colonial Revival style house, where she would live and garden for nearly 40 years. Posthumously named by "Horticulture Magazine" as one of the 25 greatest gardeners in the world in 2004, Lawrence used her garden as a laboratory where she cultivated a wide range of both heirloom plants and modern cultivars, studied their habits, and wrote about the experience in various publications.

After falling into decline, the garden was restored and remains largely true to Lawrence's original design. The site is now owned by Wing Haven, who manages the site as Lawrence once did.

Learn more about Elizabeth Lawrence at our next Historic Bookmarks Book Club meeting on September 17th at Wing Haven where we'll be discussing "Becoming Elizabeth Lawrence: Discovered Letters of a Southern Gardener" edited by Emily Herring Wilson. After the book discussion, we'll enjoy a twilight walk through Elizabeth Lawrence's garden - an experience you don't want to miss.

For event registration: https://meck.co/4g6lO9h

08/25/2026

Welcome back to school, Mecklenburg County!

Eastover Elementary School opened in 1935 to serve Charlotte's Eastover neighborhood plus nearby neighborhoods, including Colonial Heights, Myers Park, and Elizabeth. The school was constructed using federal funds provided by work relief programs during the Great Depression.

Marion R. Marsh was the school's architect of record while the principal designer was architect James Alan Stenhouse, who worked for Marsh's architectural firm and was an advocate for historic preservation. In fact, Stenhouse was a charter member of the Historic Properties Commission, predecessor of the Historic Landmarks Commission!

Eastover Elementary School is a well-preserved example of Colonial Revival style institutional architecture that is sensitive to the surrounding neighborhood streetscape. The school has been expanded but the original portion still stands.

Eastover Elementary School is located at 500 Cherokee Road in Charlotte. For more on its history: https://meck.co/4eIo3Ai

08/20/2026

The Trolley Walk in Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood is proof that history is everywhere - including under your feet!

As the E. Trade Street electric streetcar line extended through the Elizabeth neighborhood in the early 20th century, the neighborhood quickly added subdivisions, including Rosemont, which was Elizabeth's final phase and contained the Trolley Walk. This concrete slab sidewalk that connected E. 5th and E. 7th Streets was a unique amenity that allowed all Rosemont lots to be sited within a two-block walk of the streetcar. This convenience created higher values for nearby properties that were not located directly on the streetcar route.

While the surrounding area has changed greatly, the Trolley Walk remains remarkably intact and shows that sometimes a sidewalk is more than it seems!

You can find the Trolley Walk at the 2100 Blocks of: E. 5th Street, Greenway Avenue, and E. 7th Street in Charlotte. For more on its history: https://meck.co/3U2zAT7

08/18/2026

We recently celebrated the service of Commissioner Brian Clarke, who is as unsure of what he'll do without the Historic Landmarks Commission as we are of what the HLC will do without Brian!

Brian has been a member of the HLC since 2019 and served as Chair from 2023-2025. If you've ever been to an HLC meeting, you know that Brian has a lot of opinions about historic preservation - opinions that he is happy to share! So when he encounters people claiming that Charlotte tears down all of its history, Brian is always ready to disprove this claim and show people that if they look a little bit, they'll find that the city has a lot of history left in it.

Brian's thoughtful leadership throughout the past few years has been needed as Mecklenburg County's historic resources have felt the pressure of increased development. As his time on the HLC comes to an end, we know that his influence will continue to guide the HLC and show that historic preservation has a place in our growing city.

Help us thank Brian for his service to Mecklenburg County!

08/12/2026

Roses. Swamp Sunflowers. Purple Asters. Rain Lilies.

If these words make your heart skip a beat, have we got the event for you!

Join us on September 17th at Wing Haven for our next Historic Bookmarks Book Club meeting where we'll be discussing "Becoming Elizabeth Lawrence: Discovered Letters of a Southern Gardener" edited by Emily Herring Wilson.

Plant lovers, this next part is especially for you: After the book discussion, we'll take a twilight walk through Elizabeth Lawrence's garden, which remains largely true to Lawrence's original design and where we'll see the flowers listed above and many more! This is a great opportunity to learn more about Lawrence and her garden, where each plant illustrates the importance of historic preservation.

For more information and to register: https://meck.co/4g6lO9h