With Carolina Theatre reopening, what’s happening with uptown’s nearby venue Spirit Square?
With news of the Carolina Theatre reopening after a long 47 years, Charlotteans who love the arts and the city’s history are buzzing. So much so, one reader asked about the status of a different beloved art and theater space that opened in 1976 but closed in 2021.
Speaking about the Carolina Theatre, the reader wrote, “Maintaining architectural beauty and historical significance is important.”
Then they added, “Speaking of which, I have always loved Spirit Square and miss it. When is it scheduled to reopen?”
Well, we have the update. The public plaza in uptown on the corner of 7th and College Streets, along with the Duke Energy Theater and McGlohon Theater, are set to return in 2027, according to a Mecklenburg County spokesperson.
That reopening will coincide with the grand opening of the new Charlotte Mecklenburg Main Library.
Both projects were part of a large but stalled redevelopment of Seventh and Tryon.
Here’s the back story and what we can expect when patrons are welcomed back to the area.
Seventh and Tryon
In 2016, Mecklenburg County commissioners approved the North Tryon Vision Plan, a revitalization guideline for the 60-acre uptown area between Church, 11th, Caldwell and 6th Streets.
The plan was to spur development in the North Tryon square that would match the growth seen on South Tryon.
Part of that revitalization would be the Seventh and Tryon redevelopment.
Apartments, office space, retail, restaurants, parking and a public plaza were in the works for the 7-acre site. It was to be a $600 million project in partnership between the county and private developer Metropolitan Partnership.
But those plans fell through in 2023.
Ultimately, the county wasn’t “able to reach a satisfactory agreement with the selected developer,” a county spokesperson said. “This was primarily due to market conditions, making it a challenge for the developer to move forward in an expeditious manner.”
Metropolitan backed out of the project, as did the proposed anchor of the office space, Truist Bank.
The county will self-develop certain parts of the plan including an approximated 250-space parking deck on the corner of 7th and College Streets, the spokesperson said in a recent email to The Charlotte Observer. The county will begin looking for a new developer for the site once “market conditions are more conducive to such development,” the spokesperson added.
Main Library and Spirit Square
What didn’t fall through were plans to construct a new Main Library.
The county’s first library opened in 1903 as the Carnegie Library on the corner of North Tryon and 6th Streets.
The last renovation was completed in 1989. It was time for an upgrade.
In 2021, the branch was demolished to make way for a 5-story, $138.6 million facility.
New Main will feature outdoor spaces, a cafe, an immersive theater, a technology hub, digital visualization lab and an entire level dedicated to history and genealogy.
Attached to the library project is the $52 million renovation of the Spirit Square theaters and pedestrian plaza, which closed in 2021.
The theaters and the library will be combined and will act as one facility, according to county and library officials. The library’s main entrance will serve as both the lobby and box office for the theaters.
The theaters will have new exits that lead out into a new pedestrian plaza.
The century-old historic McGlohon Theater and the black-box Duke Energy Theater are being renovated. The Duke theater is undergoing the most changes, including a new rehearsal and meeting space.
Blumenthal Performing Arts previously managed Spirit Square but county officials said for now, the county will be responsible for operating the theaters and are “exploring options for the best method of operations.”
The development held a “topping off” ceremony in February and the project should be completed in the fall of 2026. The facility should open in early 2027, county officials said.
Fans of the space are eagerly waiting.
Is there a development you’re curious about? Wondering what happened to one of your favorite Charlotte locations? Send me an email at dmathurin@charlotteobserver.com and maybe we can get you an update!
