UNC Charlotte is removing one of its most iconic landmarks. It won’t put it back
UNC Charlotte plans to demolish one of its oldest, most iconic structures. Alumni are calling for preservation.
At the entrance of UNC Charlotte’s Kennedy Building sits what’s known as “the canopy,” composed of a set of white, tulip-shaped pillars topped with interlocking arches. It’s a billowing patchwork of shade. The building is one of the first two structures built on campus in 1961, along with the Macy Building.
The canopy also is one of the school’s most distinctive landmarks and is represented at the top of the university’s official seal.
But it will soon be demolished, the university said in a statement released Wednesday.
“Over many decades, water runoff from the canopy contributed to significant deterioration of the stairs beneath it,” the statement said. “The canopy has to be removed to complete the replacement project, and it cannot be preserved in a manner that would allow for reinstallation.”
Reconstructing a canopy to mimic the original structure is also not an option, the school said, since it would likely recreate the same drainage issues the current one is experiencing.
Instead, the school has completed a digital scan of the landmark, which it will use to “help inform the exploration of future commemorative, interpretive or artistic options.”
In a previous statement the university released Friday about planned construction projects, it did not list the removal of the canopy. However, it said a roof replacement at the Kennedy Building would be complete in the fall.
“A short-sighted decision”
Some alumni aren’t happy about the change.
A June 19 Facebook post decrying the demolition in a group called “Charlotte Over the Years” received 767 likes and 228 comments by early Thursday afternoon.
Chris Matthews is an alumnus of UNC Charlotte, and his father worked as a biology professor in the Kennedy Building starting in 1964.
“I feel like it’s really kind of a short-sighted decision, given the importance of that form and design,” he told The Charlotte Observer. “How do you do away with one of the most iconic features of the campus that’s actually on your official seal?”
Matthews now works for Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation and said a big part of his job is working to maintain the city’s story.
“We’re trying to do our best to preserve some of that history that you know has been lost over the years here in Charlotte,” Matthews said. “I just think this is an opportunity for the university to do better.”
Drema Craft is a 1995 graduate of UNC Charlotte. She said the removal plans are disappointing.
“It’s not just a structure — it’s part of the original campus design and a symbol of the university’s history,” she told The Observer. As alumni, we understand change is inevitable, but we also hope the university will preserve the landmarks that connect future generations to traditions.”
The Kennedy Building currently houses offices for faculty and staff. It ceased housing classes after it was the site of a mass shooting on April 30, 2019, in which a gunman entered a lecture hall on the last day of classes and fired 17 shots, taking the lives of two students and injuring six others.
The building closed during the 2019-2020 school year. It reopened the following year.
UNC Charlotte later unveiled the Constellation Garden Memorial on April 28, 2023. It sits in front of the Kennedy Building, and the school holds a wreath-laying ceremony there each year on the anniversary of the shooting.
