What’s the plan for Carolina Theatre with rooftop luxury hotel? It’s complicated.
The Foundation For The Carolinas is moving ahead with its $50 million plans to renovate and reopen the nearly century-old Carolina Theatre in uptown next year, even as plans to build an upscale hotel atop the theater are paused indefinitely.
The long-awaited theater revamp is part of a transformation for the northern portion of uptown, where development has lagged.
For years, the foundation has been working on bringing the theater back to life. The 1920s theater closed in 1978 and is in disrepair.
Plans for a 250-room Intercontinental Hotel were announced with much fanfare in 2017. Charlotte would be the Intercontinental brand’s first location in the Carolinas.
In 2019, crews installed a crane that would help install the tower atop the theater with civic space and the hotel.
But construction on the Intercontinental has been delayed as COVID-19 decimated the tourism industry. That led the foundation to rework its plans so that it can finish construction on the theater toward the end of next year, Laura Smith, the foundation’s executive vice president, said in a recent interview.
Last week, the foundation submitted a city construction permit to make those adjustments, according to public records.
Australian developer Salter Brothers, formerly SB&G Hotel Group, and Atlanta-based Valor Hospitality Partners are developing the hotel. Nathan Kivi, a spokesman for Salter Brothers, said in an emailed statement that the company is still committed to delivering the hotel.
“Unfortunately the last 15 months has created a national issue of financing ground up hotel developments,” he said. “We continue to monitor the market to determine the appropriate time to commence construction.”
Ongoing N. Tryon revitalization
Despite the hotel plans being stalled, a number of other projects are underway as the North Tryon area experiences a revitalization.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library unveiled plans in late 2019 for its $135 million overhaul of the main branch along North Tryon.
The city, county, library and Bank of America plan to sell 3.1 acres along North Tryon between 6th and 8th streets to Virginia-based developer Metropolitan Partnership for a mixed-use development. The $600 million project includes plans for an office tower, apartments, retail and parking.
The foundation announced its plans to revitalize the theater in 2015, and the Charlotte City Council gave the organization the building in 2012 for $1.
The Carolina Theatre was built in 1927, and in its heyday hosted performers like Bob Hope, Katherine Hepburn and Elvis Presley.
Smith said the next step in the project is to complete the exterior facade for the new portion, which contains a multi-story lobby and staff offices. She said they’re also working on the interior of the original building.
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 10:05 AM.
