A step back in time: If you want to know Charlotte, check out these historic spots
As much as Charlotte loves new construction, there are plenty of people just as dedicated to preserving the city’s history — and they’re ready to celebrate what makes this place unique.
The Charlotte Museum of History is throwing the Charlotte Gem Preservation Awards, a fundraising event May 8 that will honor restoration and building projects that show off historic preservation efforts, along with a few people who make things happen.
“By shining a light on successful preservation projects that enrich our communities, the Charlotte Gem Preservation awards encourage everyone who calls Charlotte ‘home’ to help save our historic places,” Terri L. White, president and CEO of the Charlotte Museum of History, said in a news release.
If you’re looking to get to know the city better — or if you’re a fan of history, design and architecture — you’ll want to check these spots out.
Charles Jonas Federal Courthouse Annex & Modernization
Location: 401 W. Trade Street, Charlotte NC 28202
When it was built: 1915 and expanded in 1932
The Charles R. Jonas Federal Courthouse — listed on the National Register of Historic Places — is one of the few surviving historic structures in the core of the city.
The project to revitalize and again expand the building started in 2016, preserving its Neoclassical architecture while making upgrades to meet modern safety, accessibility and sustainability standards.
Fact to know: The courthouse has heard landmark legal cases such as the Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education desegregation ruling.
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Myers Park Country Club
Location: 2415 Roswell Ave, Charlotte, NC 28209
When it was built: The club opened on its current site in 1921 and built the current structure in 1954.
Myers Park Country Club — a landmark in the nationally recognized Myers Park Historic District — began work in 2021 to meet members growing needs while maintaining its architectural integrity. More than 15,000 square feet was added and integrated with the clubhouse’s exterior while preserving millwork, chandeliers and fireplaces.
Fact to know: In renovated areas where the structure’s original millwork and parquet flooring were not available, the club worked with craftspeople to replicate the materials.
Westside Community Land Trust Refurbished Historic Shotgun Homes
Location: Rozzelle’s Ferry Road, Charlotte
When they were built: Circa 1890
Two shotgun homes refurbished by Westside Community Land Trust once stood on Bland Street in Blandville, a community razed amid urban renewal initiatives in the 1960s and 1970s. But the homes have moved twice since then. Now, a collaboration between the Gantt Center, the Historic Landmarks Commission, the Lakeview Neighborhood Alliance and others has led the West Side Community Land Trust to once again use the homes as affordable housing.
Fact to know: Signage recognizes the historic designation of the homes and highlights original owners Lula McCollough and her son James McCollough.
Edgewood
Location: 2217 Sharon Road, Charlotte NC 28207
When it was built: 1941
Edwin and Georgia Mae Kurtz built the Edgewood home, which shows off the architectural transition in Myers Park from larger Revival style homes to simpler designs.
Its new owner’s restoration and expansion project began in 2020, maintaining the character and materials of the original building while transforming attic space into a primary suite and opening the original attic staircase to the main floor.
Fact to know: A low-walled terrace added across the front of the home used original clinker brick to integrate new and existing materials.
Covenant Presbyterian Church Welcome Center
Location: 100 East Morehead St., Charlotte NC 28202
When it was built: Early 1950s
Covenant Presbyterian Church, an example of Gothic Revival architecture with upward-sloping arched windows, provides a gateway to the Dilworth Historic District.
Its new Covenant Welcome Center, completed in 2019, was designed to fit seamlessly between the sanctuary and education buildings along East Morehead Street using architectural elements such as hand-matched cast stone, slate roofing, copper accents and historically accurate windows.
Fact to know: In collaboration with the Dilworth Historic Commission, the project team used traditional materials and techniques — including the help of a master stonemason with access to original quarries — to ensure consistency with the church’s limestone facade.
Lansdowne Casita
Location: 536 Lansdowne Road, Charlotte NC 28270
When the main home was built: 1967
The current owners of the Lansdowne Casita renovated the split-level residence in 2020 to reconfigure the primary suite with a luxurious bathroom and walk-in dressing room and reduced the home’s bedrooms in the process. A fourth bedroom was added back as a detached space, along with a garage.
That new 420-square-foot studio apartment space — now the casita — was created with continuity in mind on paint choices, roof slope and historically accurate siding.
Fact to know: The casita is integrated well enough into the property that many neighbors don’t know it exists.
And there’s more!
Besides properties of historic interest, the Charlotte History Museum is presenting a few other awards, as well.
Preservation Project Award — Charlie Houck Headstone
The Charlotte Museum of History’s Preservation Project Award goes to an individual, community organization or group of people who work to preserve our shared history. This year’s award goes to Jason Tapp of SpookyCLT, who spent two years raising funds to have a headstone in Charlotte’s historic Elmwood Cemetery restored and secured.
The headstone belongs to Charlie Houck, a traveling circus animal trainer who died in a Charlotte hospital in 1930 after a lion scratched his arm, causing a fatal infection. A marble headstone the circus purchased — featuring dogwood flower medallions, garland engravings and the epitaph “Killed by a Lion” — cracked into pieces sometime in 2022. Tapp worked to restore the “one-of-a-kind piece of Charlotte history.”
2025 Charlotte Gem Award winner
The Charlotte Gem Award is given annually to a community member who “actively works to make the Charlotte region a better place through advocacy, volunteerism and support.” This year’s winner is Dan Morrill, who is also the night’s featured speaker and has dedicated more than 50 years to preserving the area’s history and historic places.
His career highlights include:
- 51 years of work as history professor at UNC Charlotte, making him the school’s longest-serving faculty member
- Helping to start the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission in the 1970s and spending 46 years working to secure designations for more than 300 local historic landmarks, more than any other county in North Carolina.
- Co-founding Preserve Mecklenburg, a nonprofit that preserves property of special historic and cultural importance.
2025 inaugural Keystone Award
The Keystone Award honors a local organization that promotes history and preservation. This year, the winner is The May 20th Society, which champions the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence’s release more than a year before Thomas Jefferson’s national Declaration of Independence. This year, the society will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence with multiple events in May.
How to go to the Charlotte Gem Preservation Awards
Location: The Casey, 1837 N Tryon St #102, Charlotte, NC 28206
When: Thursday, May 8, at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $150 for nonmembers or $125 for members at charlottemuseum.org/events.
What to know: Ticket holders are in for a hot night. The “Fire & Gemstones” cocktail hour will feature fire dancers and plenty of beats from the Johnson C. Smith International Institution of Sound drumline, plus a display of vintage Charlotte Fire Department trucks. There’s a silent auction, too.
This event is 21+, and cocktail attire is requested. Proceeds from the event support the Charlotte Museum’s mission to preserve the city’s history.
Uniquely Charlotte: Uniquely Charlotte is an Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Charlotte region.
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
