Three Charlotte relics you should know about

In every decade since the 1850s — when the railroads came to the South — Charlotte has grown tremendously, says community historian Tom Hanchett.

But amid all that development, Charlotte has still been able to preserve many of its historic landmarks.

From a home to a skyscraper, I learned from Hanchett about some pieces of Charlotte history that have weathered the centuries.

Historic Home

The Hezekiah Alexander House, the oldest home in Charlotte, is now surrounded by 1950s and ’60s homes, but the area around it was once near the edge of European settlement – in the backcountry of what would soon be a new nation.

At the time Alexander built his house in 1774, the area surrounding it was home to log cabins and small farms – and only a few stone houses like Alexander’s.

So, why was Alexander’s house stone when so many of the others were wooden or log?

For one, Alexander had money to build a nicer home. His 300-acre farm was by no means a plantation, but it was much larger than those in the surrounding area.

After the deaths of Alexander and his wife, Mary, various people had ownership of the house, until 1945, when it ended up in the hands of the Methodist Home of the Aged, now Aldersgate, which still owns the property today.

The region’s mainly log and wooden houses easily rotted, erasing any traces of their existence. But Alexander’s stone home proved sturdy enough to weather the centuries – with a whole lot of help from the community.

Six chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, aghast at the building’s deterioration, leased the house from the Home of the Aged in 1949 and began renovations – which are still continuing to this day, with help from many in the community, said Kay Peninger, president and CEO of the Charlotte Museum of History, which leases, operates and funds the house now. (The site is now a museum open to the public.)

3500 Shamrock Dr.

Senior Skyscraper

While Alexander’s house captured a snapshot of the farming industry dominant in the region during his life, the Johnston Building — the oldest skyscraper in the city — embodies the textile-focused businesses of its time.

In the initial years after it opened in 1924, most of the people who worked in the 17-story building were involved in the textile business.

Looking north on Tryon St. from County Courthouse in mid-1920’s. Johnston building (white structure at left) and Independence building (center) 

The South Tryon Street building was not Charlotte’s first skyscraper – that was the Independence Building — and it was not the only one in the area at the time it was built (although it was the tallest at the time).

So why is it still here?

It may have more to do with its location than anything else.

The Independence Building — which was demolished in the 1980s — was located in prime real estate territory, at the corner of Trade and Tryon Streets.

The Johnston Building was not in the center of the city, as the Independence Building was, so the pressure to tear it down and build something else up was not so great.

The skyscraper still operates as an office space today for businesses like Carlisle and Gallagher Consulting Group and Fifth Third Bank.

212 South Tryon St.

Retro Restaurant

Green’s Lunch may not be officially a historic landmark, but, boy, does it have a history.

One of Charlotte’s oldest restaurants, it has been serving up hot dogs since 1926 – and not too much has changed on the menu in that time, said current owner Joanna Sikiotis.

The first owner, Robert Green, served just hot dogs and hamburgers, with mustard, ketchup and onions, Sikiotis said. The next owners, son Robert Green Jr. and his then-wife Mary, added her secret chili recipe. (When Mary and Robert divorced, Mary got the restaurant, which she later sold to Sikiotis’ father, Phillip Katopodis.)

“And when my father took over, he added breakfast and slaw [which led to the addition of the Carolina Dog],” she said. “When I took over, I added french fries and onion rings. Nothing else has changed.”

The restaurant is in the same location now as when it first opened – although they did build a new building in 1980 or so, due to limited seating, among other issues, Sikiotis said.

There was also a teensy problem with the height of the ceilings.

“If you were over 5’ 5”, you had to bend,” she said.

The restaurant’s brick front – which is actually from the old building – has seen many famous people walk through its doors, Sikiotios said, including Cam Newton and Billy Graham.

But don’t expect to pay movie star prices at Green’s Lunch. Even if the cost of the food isn’t quite out of the 1920s, it’s certainly not what you might expect to pay at a typical lunch today.

309 West 4th St.

Photos 1,2: Courtesy of the Charlotte Musuem of History Photo 3: Charlotte Observer file photo Photo 4: Mark Hames, Charlotte Observer

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Three Charlotte relics you should know about."