Historic church in Charlotte redeveloped into new condos. Take a look inside.

A historic building in Charlotte that was once a church has been officially redeveloped into townhomes.

After years of planning and construction, units at The Arches, located in Wesley Heights, are now open and available with some familiar touches from the former church, which stood in the neighborhood for decades.

Church transformed into condos

Though the condos are new, the building’s history goes back nearly one hundred years.

The iconic Romanesque Revivalist style church was designed in 1927 and was later home to Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, formerly known as Wesley Heights Methodist Episcopal Church.

But in 2019, the property was sold and the development of The Arches began.

[RELATED: What’s old is new again: In Charlotte, even the churches aren’t immune from redevelopment]

The Arches: cost, design, features

The Arches has 14 total units within two buildings ranging from $500,000 to $675,000. Some are in a new building built last year, but most are in the old church building, with pieces of the sanctuary included in the designs.

“The builders kept and preserved the historic integrity of the building and the location. But they also preserved the stained glass, and so there’s actually stained glass in every unit in the church, and it’s called The Arches because they have the arched ceilings.” David Hoffman of David Hoffman Realty, the property realtor, told The Charlotte Observer.

“The goal was to preserve the integrity of the community so that neighbors and homeowners can feel included… you know there’s so much new construction around that we wanted to keep in character with Wesley Heights.”

[READ MORE: Here are 10 churches transformed through adaptive reuse in Charlotte]

In addition to the church-style windows, the two bedroom and three bedroom units are also uniquely designed with city view terraces, optional fireplaces, grilling stations and more.

“They all have little different nuances because you know, you have to imagine putting 11 townhomes inside of a church,” Hoffman explained. “I think the developer and builder did a really good job of obviously protecting the integrity of the church, but also making each unit its own.”

You can find more information about The Arches online at www.thearchescharlotte.com.

This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 11:15 AM.

Chyna Blackmon

The Charlotte Observer

Chyna Blackmon was a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Support my work with a digital subscription