Uptown & Downtown Neighborhoods
1st Ward
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Wander through First Ward neighborhood in the early morning hours and you will see a steady stream of office workers trekking to the Center City office towers or to Reid’s for their morning cup of coffee and then to catch the LYNX light rail train. Students of all ages are on foot as well as they head to the neighborhood First Ward elementary school, Trinity Episcopal School and the new UNCC uptown campus. Hear the hum of construction activity as Levine Properties embarks on a premier mixed use development, which includes the new First Ward Park and UNCC.
Residents of this award winning neighborhood, where edgy urban condos and apartments befriend beautiful town homes and craftsman houses, enjoy easy access to growing vibrant cultural, arts and entertainment amenities. The First Ward neighborhood is bordered by bustling E. Trade Street, Tryon Street business and entertainment district, and I-277 urban loop highway, but it’s the beautiful garden district and parks that anchor this truly mixed income community of more than 1,000 residents.
Development:
With the recent additions of Imaginon and the Time Warner Cable Arena and planned restoration of the Carolina Theater, First Ward’s future appeared to be cultural, arts and entertainment focused. However, with the new UNCC uptown campus, First Ward Elementary and Trinity Episcopal School, and both the public library and Imaginon, First Ward has also developed as a learning laboratory. Levine Properties’ development and the addition of a market street anchoring the west side of the First Ward Park, will bring much anticipated retail to the neighborhood.
History:
During Charlotte’s industrial age, First Ward provided housing to laborers, masons and mill workers. As Charlotte evolved, First Ward became one of city’s most blighted inner city neighborhoods. In 1993, The Charlotte Housing Authority received a $41.6 million Hope VI federal grant to re-develop Earle Village (a public housing project). The grant resulted in the nationally acclaimed First Ward Place, an economically viable alternative to low-income housing which combines a gleaming community of apartments with single family homes. The entire neighborhood was completely rebuilt and the success of this renaissance has spurred significant development activity.
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2nd Ward
Second Ward is located in the southeast quadrant of uptown, bordered by lively E. Trade Street, the Tryon Street business and entertainment district and the I-277 urban highway loop. The Second Ward neighborhood consists of elite condominium mid-rises, the Trust and the Radcliffe (anchored by The Green, an enchanting park that brings out the kid in everyone), with future planned towers at the EpiCenter and The Park.
The Second Ward residential environment on the verge significant diversification, however, with the proposed 2nd Ward/Brooklyn Village plan which will create a new neighborhood with different types of housing, restaurants, shops, a state of the art high school, and a remarkable neighborhood park. Currently, Second Ward is primarily a sophisticated business center and the essence the Second Ward neighborhood today reflects this. In the next decade, the Second Ward neighborhood will develop into a vibrant and diverse residential community with unique retail shops and restaurants frequented by visitors, office workers, and residents alike.
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Development:
Significant development in Second Ward was spurred by the relocation of the city’s new convention center, completed in 1995. Since it’s opening, we have seen Wachovia/Wells Fargo expand their footprint to 4 office towers (including the new tower as part of the cultural campus) in Second Ward. Their gift to the city, the nationally renowned park “The Green”, has added enchanting green space, playful art as well as street and park level retail to the south end of uptown’s Tryon Street. The new LYNX light rail also has three stops in Second Ward, at Trade Street, 3rd Street/Convention Center, and the Westin Hotel. Our NASCAR heritage will be celebrated at the new NASCAR Hall of Fame, slated for completion in 2009. The NASCAR Hall of Fame project will also enhance our Convention Center amenities, with the addition of an expanded ballroom and over street connector.
History:
Second Ward was known for decades as Brooklyn, a bustling urban community and home to approximately 7,000 African-American citizens who worshipped, attended school, worked and patronized many shops there. This community was designated as a blighted neighborhood in the 1960s by the city and federal government’s urban renewal program. As a result, the Brooklyn community was literally bulldozed. The Second Ward High School, a cornerstone of this community, was also razed. Government leaders promised a replacement school, but this was a promise not kept. Today, there is a passionate grassroots movement lead by the Second Ward High School alumni to build a high school as part of the redevelopment of Brooklyn Village.
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3rd Ward
Nestled in a canopy of Sycamore trees is the most diverse neighborhood in Center City. The Third Ward Neighborhood is home to long time residents, young families, empty nesters, retirees and aspiring professionals who have put down roots in restored mill houses, charming town homes and gleaming high rises. This eclectic neighborhood is bordered by lively W. Trade Street, I-77 and the Tryon Street business district and is bookended by parks and greenways. Boasting Center City’s only dog park, a successful community garden and the soon to be constructed Romare Bearden Park, Third Ward is blossoming with beauty and charisma.
The Third Ward Neighborhood is a community in motion. Johnson & Wales University students in white chef uniforms race to and from classes passing technology professionals immersed in the cyber world. The flurry of activity provides an animated setting for business professionals meeting in the park and promenade that link the Gateway business centers.
With Bank of America Stadium in their backyard, streets and spaces are filled with tailgate parties during Panther season. The tailgate season will soon be extended with the much anticipated Knight’s AAA baseball stadium in Third Ward. But it’s not all about sports in this community—the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus has changed the landscape and will bring the Mint Museum, Knight Theater, The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and the Harvey Gantt African American Culture Center.
Development:
The Wells Fargo Cultural Campus located on Tryon Street south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is a spectacular development in Third Ward. The campus, to be completed in 2010, will include the Mint Museum of Art, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Knight Theater and the Harvey Gantt African American Culture Center. The Wells Fargo office tower rises above the campus and will provide office space for Wells Fargo and Duke Energy. Novare’s Catalyst condominium tower and Twelve hotel are adjacent to the Cultural Campus. Catalyst residents and guests of Twelve will be able to step from the lobby into a new Romare Bearden Park and Charlotte Knights AAA baseball stadium (2010). Future development also includes Citiline’s mixed use development at Johnson & Wales Way and W. Trade Street and the Gateway Transit Station, a new commuter rail station and hub for the city's mass transit system.
History:
In the late 1800s, the Victor Cotton Mill anchored this southwest quadrant of the city. When the mill closed, the adjacent land was converted to neighborhood housing and the neighborhoods of McNinchville and Woodlawn were born. The neighborhoods were considered suburbs accessible by city streetcars and included a mixture of industrial buildings and housing. In the mid 1950s the neighborhoods declined. In the 1960s, the city added east/west connectors 4th Street, 5th Street that carved what remained of the neighborhoods in pieces. In the 1980s, shortly after revitalization of the city’s Fourth Ward, neighborhood activists and city leaders turned their efforts to Third Ward. They worked tirelessly with city officials and private-sector leaders to ensure the ultimate restoration of the Third Ward. Bank of America's 1.5 million square foot mixed use complex, Gateway Village, sparked incredible development in Third Ward and has attracted attention nationwide for creative positioning of a mixed-use development in an urban setting.
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4th Ward
The Historic Fourth Ward neighborhood blends restored 100-plus-year-old Victorian homes, with luxury condominiums, urban apartments, parks and businesses. This collection of quaint and charming meets urban contemporary offers a residential experience that has made Fourth Ward a premier uptown community.
Approximately 30 city blocks in diameter, the Fourth Ward is bordered by the Tryon Street business and entertainment district, the historical Elmwood Cemetery, and lively Trade Street. It is anchored by the beautiful Fourth Ward Park. Wandering through narrow tree-lined streets, visitors delight in seeing the grand old Victorians with gingerbread millwork, charming front porches and courtyard gardens.
Every December, the Friends of Fourth Ward neighborhood association organizes the Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tour. This wildly popular holiday tradition in Center City welcomes thousands to explore and enjoy the grand homes in their holiday splendor.
Development:
Recent development in the Fourth Ward includes the addition of high rise condominium towers, The Vue and the Avenue, as well as converting Fourth Ward Square from apartments into condos. The NC Music Factory, a mixed used arts and entertainment complex including a 5,000 seat concert venue, is spectacular amenity at the west end of Fourth Ward. The east end of Fourth Ward soon welcomes a facelift with the redevelopment of property between 9th Street and 11th Street and College and Tryon Streets. This development will be a mixed use office, residential and retail project and transform 10th Street into a lovely stroll district with wide, shady sidewalks and street level retail.
History:
In the 1800’s, Fourth Ward was a prosperous community offering close proximity to the bustling retail and commerce activity of Tryon Street. However, with the introduction of the streetcar system Fourth Ward experienced a period of decline during the early to mid-1900s as people were lured away from the city to the new suburbs, Dilworth and Myers Park. In 1974, the Junior League championed a restoration initiative with the creative financing support of North Carolina National Bank (Nations Bank/Bank of America) and enthusiasm from city activists. Over the next decade, the historic Fourth Ward neighborhood to rise from ruins to become one of the most desired communities in Charlotte today.
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