Charlotte Museum of History, Historic Charlotte merging

The fight to save Charlotte’s vanishing historic buildings is getting a boost with news that the Charlotte Museum of History and Historic Charlotte are merging to create a unified front on preserving and promoting local history and historic sites.

The alliance comes at a time when homes and buildings associated with history are under siege because of booming revitalization, including historic neighborhoods from the 1950s that are seeing older homes razed to be replaced with much larger homes, sometimes derided as “McMansions.”

Both organizations stand to gain.

The museum, which recently rebounded from financial problems, will see its role as a cultural leader elevated beyond tours and school programming. And it will get an infusion of support from community leaders involved in historic preservation.

Historic Charlotte’s name will disappear, but the all-volunteer nonprofit will benefit from having an office for the first time, and use of a paid staff. The agency once had a paid leader but lost those grant dollars during the recession.

Kay Peninger, CEO of the Museum of History, says merging makes sense because they share a mission to spur heritage tourism and economic development. No staff will be added as a result of the merger, she said, and no new money will be sought for the budget, which is about $500,000.

“There’s no downside to it,” Peninger said. “We’re two sides of the same coin, working toward the same goals of engaging people in history and preserving it for the future. … Both organizations are going to have more impact.”

Protecting historic buildings

Historic Charlotte’s role has been to recognize and promote historic sites and try to save those that are threatened. Charlotte has long had a reputation for tearing down its history in the name of progress, which explains why there are so few buildings in uptown from mid- and early 20th century.

Local historian Tom Hanchett supports the merger as a way of promoting preservation, while he lauds Historic Charlotte for its impact. He says the organization’s biggest contribution of late may have been “winning respect” for something baby boomers were taking for granted: mid-20th-century homes.

Those homes are threatened, he said, as new buyers seek to make the most of prime real estate close to uptown.

“It was important to have a nongovernmental organization like Historic Charlotte, which sought out landmarks that were often in suburbia, and off on side streets,” Hanchett said. “And it was especially valuable to have a group like that in a city like ours, full of newcomers who were wondering where all the old buildings are.”

In some respects, the merger represents a ripple effect of the recession. During and immediately after the economic downturn, fundraising took a nose drive, and nearly a dozen local charities merged to keep their programs running.

And when Historic Charlotte lost funding for its staff position, that left only volunteers to keep it alive. “The alternative to this merger might be losing Historic Charlotte altogether, and that would not be good at all,” Hanchett said.

Jodie Lawson is an example of how the two agencies overlapped. She is a Charlotte Museum of History trustee, who also served with Historic Charlotte.

“I think the fact that Historic Charlotte survived years without an executive director is a testament to the organization. It was able to move forward with big events thanks to committed members and supporters,” she said.

John Kincheloe, president of Historic Charlotte Inc., says the merger is logical, considering the museum’s work preserving the Hezekiah Alexander House. It is the oldest surviving structure in Mecklenburg County, built in 1774, and is the centerpiece of the museum’s property on Shamrock Drive in east Charlotte.

One last reuse project

Ideas for incorporating Historic Charlotte’s mission into new programs are already being considered, including fairs to connect owners of older buildings with renovation specialists. Peninger says one of her goals is to show Charlotteans that historic buildings can be adapted for modern use, something that’s happening with Google Fiber’s remake of the century-old former Dixie’s Tavern in uptown.

Historic Charlotte’s final act is another example of adaptive reuse. It announced this week that the iconic Queen Park Cinema sign that towered more than 50 years over South Boulevard is to get a new home. The agency held a competition to see who could come up with the best plan for the sign, and 10 organizations submitted ideas.

The winner was Joe Lariscy and his investment partners, who will incorporate it into the branding of a food and entertainment venue at 4125 Yancey Road. That’s just a half-mile from where the sign originally stood. The business is expected to open in the fall, with the signs incorporated into the facade or a courtyard setting.

Historic Charlotte board member Shep Reynolds says finding a home for the sign is an example of what the group did well: standing in the way when local history was threatened and suggesting an alternative.

“Among Historic Charlotte’s greatest legacies has been its role in empowering people to save and celebrate the history of our community,” he said. “Historic Charlotte had a way of finding well-intentioned people with resources, who realized we can’t throw history away. The name Historic Charlotte will be gone but not that mission.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Charlotte Museum of History, Historic Charlotte merging."