Brooklyn Village Redevelopment in 2nd Ward

[j-man]

I don't have a subscription, but here you go. Can somebody log in and spill the tea

https://mecktimes.com/news/2019/01/16/crew-gets-update-on-brooklyn-village/

 

 

[NCMike1990]

The history of Brooklyn from the Charlotte Observer. 

 

[NCMike1990]

1965 vs today. Same angle. This shows how much the city has changed with urban renewal of the 60s. It’s incredible how much was lost.

 

[Dale]

Boy, Charlotte was tiny back then.

 

[videtur quam contuor]

12 hours ago, NCMike1990 said:

1965 vs today. Same angle. This shows how much the city has changed with urban renewal of the 60s. It’s incredible how much was lost.

 

In the older photo Independence Boulevard comes from the southwest at an angle and turns right at Stonewall. Morehead St. is just out of view at the bottom of the photo. Note the rail lines through downtown. The large square flat top building on the left with a white roof was Young Ford dealer, or its progenitor. Much of Brooklyn was gone at the time of this photo and it is worth noting that the Thompson Childrens Orphanage lost (sold) much of its land in this same time period to this project as well as CPCC. I cannot identify the 5-6 story white building standing top right.

See here for photos of early Independence Boulevard and Charlotte streets in the 1950's:

http://www.gribblenation.com/ncpics/charlotte/indblvd/1950.html

[Windsurfer]

13 minutes ago, tarhoosier said:

 I cannot identify the 5-6 story white building standing top right.

See here for photos of early Independence Boulevard and Charlotte streets in the 1950's:

http://www.gribblenation.com/ncpics/charlotte/indblvd/1950.html

Is that not the telephone building?  Used to be Bell South, then AT&T ?

[j-man]

12 hours ago, Dale said:

Boy, Charlotte was tiny back then.

 

Looks like modern day Columbia. 

[videtur quam contuor]

6 minutes ago, Windsurfer said:

Is that not the telephone building?  Used to be Bell South, then AT&T ?

Yes, I think you are right. North Caldwell and 8 storeys (today), built 1929-30 so checks. Thank you.

Edited January 21, 2019 by tarhoosier

[videtur quam contuor]

I went looking for photos of historic Thompson Orphanage and they seem to be difficult to find. I can think of reasons this might be so. The caption for this one says" farm at orphange just 70 years ago."  The Midtown mall, né Charlottetown Mall, opened in 1959 so this photo would be from circa 1940's. Our rural roots are not so far away. There are many among us who remember this time.

If someone can identify the buildings in the background or better provide photos of the historic orphanage I would be delighted. I was married at the chapel there so a personal connection. Cost:  25$ for ceremony (2 hours) plus another 25$ for organist and rehearsal time.

[Old Carolinian]

One of the buildings is the back of the First Union building, built in the very early 1950s, it's in the background on the left side of the barn.    Then the Johnston Building and the Commercial National building, the latter being demolished (along with the American Trust building) for the NCNB building completed in 1960 or 1961.  To the extreme right the Liberty Life building in the foreground and the Wachovia building on East Trade at Church under construction, completed in 1958, I think.  Between the First Union and Johnston building--is that the Wilder building?  I'll guess the photo is from 1957.   The Thompson farm extended across old Independence down Kings Drive; I remember the cows, a similar scene to those cows that grazed on the land on which SouthPark was built.

[Dale]

My first trip to Charlotte was 1984. The Uptown Belk was long-in-the-tooth, not long for this world, and you accessed the Overstreet Mall through a threadbare curtain.

[j-man]

Ummmmm what’s going on here

[DMann]

looks like someone put cones down.  Where exactly is this?

 

[j-man]

 

23 minutes ago, DMann said:

looks like someone put cones down.  Where exactly is this?

 

There are cones and fencing all around that lot on stonewall where the 26 floor tower is supposed to go in Brooklyn Village. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by j-man

[KJHburg]

could be related to All Star weekend like a police or security area.  No building is starting there right now. 

[j-man]

2 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

could be related to All Star weekend like a police or security area.  No building is starting there right now. 

Let us dream lmao

[sakami]

I keep hearing that Bob Walton is coming down this summer. The timeline has changed a few times but workers at DSS are telling families that they are moving out this June along with other county services that  have already moved to the complex on Freedom. Is work actually set to start on that lot in 2019?

[Cadi40]

I thought Brooklyn Village was dead. 

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

I thought Brooklyn Village was dead. 

why would you say that? Nobody as ever said it died. I suspect it never will die. It might be a little dormant right now. But its been said numerous times that they are still in due diligence with the county.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Guest

[videtur quam contuor]

11 hours ago, sakami said:

I keep hearing that Bob Walton is coming down this summer. The timeline has changed a few times but workers at DSS are telling families that they are moving out this June along with other county services that  have already moved to the complex on Freedom. Is work actually set to start on that lot in 2019?

20 years ago Walton was the repository for archived CMS student records. A current student asked me where he could access his transcript after graduation. I told him the Walton Center and his eyes widened. "BILL Walton?" he said. *sighing sadly* I said, yes.  {This thing happened}

[HighRiseHillbilly]

10 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

20 years ago Walton was the repository for archived CMS student records. A current student asked me where he could access his transcript after graduation. I told him the Walton Center and his eyes widened. "BILL Walton?" he said. *sighing sadly* I said, yes.  {This thing happened}

Please don't judge me, but who is this and what happened? 

[Boricua]

58 minutes ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

Please don't judge me, but who is this and what happened? 

I could be wrong but wasn't Bob Walton a pedophile Mecklenburg county commissioner?  Bill Walton is an NBA great

[HighRiseHillbilly]

32 minutes ago, Boricua said:

I could be wrong but wasn't Bob Walton a pedophile Mecklenburg county commissioner?  Bill Walton is an NBA great

Thanks. I was getting a little confused. 

[KJHburg]

47 minutes ago, Boricua said:

I could be wrong but wasn't Bob Walton a pedophile Mecklenburg county commissioner?  Bill Walton is an NBA great

Correct.  It was highly controversial that this building was named for him at the time and I will be glad to see it go. 

[KJHburg]

Charlotte's next urban frontier Brooklyn and lets hope it does not take as long as Levine's First Ward to get started.