A move for the ages: Historic Dilworth building saved and moved up the street.
After months of anticipation, a crowd of residents from the Dilworth and South End neighborhoods watched a historic brick building move slowly down the road Thursday after leaving its home of more than 120 years.
The Leeper & Wyatt structure at 1923 S. Blvd. moved 750 feet away to its new location by an empty parking lot at 1829 Cleveland Ave. The move was organized by restaurant owners Jeff Tonidandel and his wife Jamie Brown. They made plans to save the building last year after it faced demolition because of an apartment project coming to the site.
For half a century, the Leeper & Wyatt building had served as a neighborhood grocery store.
The foundation was knocked out and steel beams were placed underneath when it faced South Boulevard. Holes were made in the sides, back and front of the building to slide the beams in and carry the load after hydraulic jacks raise it up. It broke from the basement foundation then made its way to the new location by wheels on large hydraulic dollies.
The whole process for the move took about three hours.
It was worth the wait, especially for excited third grade students from Dilworth Elementary School who marveled and cheered with excitement when the building moved. Parent volunteer Michelle Taylor was also thrilled to be a spectator.
“The more historic buildings that we can keep, the better,” she said. “Especially when we’re not knocking them down to build apartments or things that we have plenty of already. It’s nice that they’re trying to preserve something.”
Dilworth resident Sana Ali is glad to see history saved.
“I didn’t think this was possible,” Ali said. “It’s very cool that they’re saving the historic integrity and moving it within the neighborhood. I walk by here every single day and watched the wheels come under.
“And finally, it’s coming to fruition.”
Saving a piece of Charlotte history
Brown and Tonidandel received approval from the Charlotte City Council and Historic District Commission last year to move the building. Built in 1903, it’s the oldest retail brick commercial building left in the South End neighborhood, according to the restaurant owners.
It was once a grocery store that served the Atherton Mill and Dilworth communities for more than 50 years. The Leeper & Wyatt building is one of about 400 historic landmarks in Mecklenburg County.
Brown and Tonidandel went to work to save the building after Nashville-based Southern Land Company announced plans to build a high-rise apartment building on the corner of East Tremont Avenue and South Boulevard. Southern Land said it wasn’t feasible to keep the old building because of the city’s plans to widen South Boulevard, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
A plan to reuse the building for commercial purposes fell through last year. That’s when Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group took the lead in saving the building.
Lots of moving parts
The project also involved the work of Wolfe House & Building Movers, Duke Energy, nearby businesses, architects, Charlotte Department of Transportation, engineers and masonry professionals.
Moving the building up the street required moving powerlines and cutting down trees at the Worthington/Cleveland Avenue intersection. To prepare, cconstruction crews dug at the new Cleveland Avenue site for the old building’s foundation.
After a three-hour move, Brown and Tonidandel celebrated with colleagues by opening a bottle of champagne, while a film crew captured the moment for a new television series. It’s currently titled “Fork and Hammer” and is produced by Charlotte-based Susie Films.
“We got to figure out what we’re going to do inside now,” he said.
The old Leeper & Wyatt building is now sitting next to the Leluia Hall church, which was built in 1915. It took two years for the couple to restore the church building, which will serve steak and seafood when it opens. Finishing touches are in the works.
“It’s incredible to have them side-by-side, but this one will have to wait a little bit while we focus on opening Leluia Hall first,” she said.
Plans for the next chapter in the life of the Leeper & Wyatt building have not been finalized.
This story was originally published September 12, 2024 at 3:36 PM.
