Place Names

[UptownGrrl]

Reading the posts about EpiCentre, the new park in 3rd Ward, NorthLake mall/area, etc. made me wonder about the names of all these new projects.

First, it seems like we've pretty much tapped out the "Cityside/CitiSide/CityView Towers, Lofts, Townes, etc. theme. Won't it be strange in 20 years to have a whole bunch of stuff that was built at one time with some form of City/Side/View in the name? I think once the novelty wears off, and its commonplace to have retail and residential downtown, these buildings will age themselves because their names attempt to

[ilektronik]

Sounds like a place robots or vulcans go for fun...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

awesome

I agree that the names of many of the buildings are FAR too generic. The building that I'm in for example is simply called "400 South Tryon". I mean, come on!!!! Right now Duke occupies over 90% of the building (with the FBI and Spectrum Properties being the only other tenants). The talked about calling the building "Duke Energy Plaza" which in my mind would be far more creative than simply defaulting to naming it the address at which it is located. No matter what though, I still always have to tell people "the old Wachovia building". Hey that would be more creative than "400 South Tryon" though lol

[DigitalSky]

It probably started with SouthPark (South of Freedom Park?).. then well the wards were there way before.. hmm i dunno

[StevenRocks]

Naming half the roads in South Charlotte after Sharon Church wasn't exactly creative either.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Naming half the roads in South Charlotte after Sharon Church wasn't exactly creative either.

Is that who the roads are named after?

Whats an example of a non generic name somewhere else? I personally like naming places by numbers, its calming in a way... 400 N Tryon, 300 W Trade, such names sound good and look good on paper, they have a timeless quality.

[appatone]

I'd prefer a name for the EpiCentre development that actually makes it sound like a fun, relaxing place to be, or something that draws on the history of its location, rather than a placename that solely indicates its position at THE EXACT CENTER of the city.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Confederate Munitions Tower? All joking aside I think you are right. I think many developers don't always go as into depth into the branding of there projects as they should some times. The result can be blandness, a general unknowness about the project, or in the the case of EpiCentre, Cheesiness.

[StevenRocks]

Is that who the roads are named after?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, not a who, but a what. There's a church in South Charlotte from the early days called Sharon and the roads near it are named for it.

[monsoon]

Can someone share how people decide what to name their buildings and developments, and why Charlotte is stuck in a generic-naming trend?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Because Southerners in New South cities want to forget their roots and everyone else is from outside the region. Hence you end up with the situation you mention where names mean nothing and could be anywhere in the country. And people are more vain now.

[UptownGrrl]

Confederate Munitions Tower?   All joking aside I think you are right.  I think many developers don't always go as into depth into the branding of there projects as they should some times.  The result can be blandness, a general unknowness about the project, or in the the case of EpiCentre, Cheesiness.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, why not "The Armory" or something like that to touch on the history of the place? Although, something called the Armory located near the transit center, might not be a good idea afterall! But, people find out more interesting things about Charlotte that way. Something about 'EpiCentre' just sounds so technical:

"I must transport myself to the Epicenter to partake of malted liquid refreshment and use my ocular input devices to process the latest photonic entertainment display"

[Miesian Corners]

When I hear "EpiCentre", I think of earthquakes. After living in California, I'd rather not be at "the epicenter" of anything. I can hear the car alarms now.

[appatone]

But, people find out more interesting things about Charlotte that way.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's a big point. People cry about the city's lack of "soul" and character. There is always a big thought process on how to get the word out about Charlotte's history and character and the solution is usually some sort of plaque that gets entirely ignored. A modern building with a unique name would be much more likely to get people talking. I wonder if Ghazi would consider a name change for his project if something better and more appropriate then Epicentre of "The Grand" were suggested?

[dubone]

Actually, not a who, but a what.

[Miesian Corners]

Sharon was a sort of village, but it got its name from the church. Amity was the same way. And of course, Sharon-Amity Road connected Sharon Presybterian to Amity Presbyterian. So just so everyone's aware, there was no person named "Sharon Amity" Don't ask me how Sharon Lane fits in there, as I'm not really sure, although I think it has something to do with Morrocroft and the Morrison family. Sharon Lane was basically their driveway through the dairy farm that is now Foxcroft.

[DigitalSky]

It probably started with SouthPark (South of Freedom Park?).. then well the wards were there way before.. hmm i dunno

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does anyone know how SouthPark got its name though or who named it? That was just my guess.. south of myers or freedom park, but i don't know for sure

[monsoon]

.....

in 2050, when charlotte and mecklenburg are merged, people will ask why are so many things called cornelius near the lake .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually those people will be fortunate enough to have UrbanPlanet to look up why it's named as such.

[SmellyCat]

Does anyone know how SouthPark got its name though or who named it?  That was just my guess.. south of myers or freedom park, but i don't know for sure

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean it wasn't named after the cartoon? I assumed it was.

[krazeeboi]

[SmellyCat]

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[StevenRocks]

Does anyone know how SouthPark got its name though or who named it?  That was just my guess.. south of myers or freedom park, but i don't know for sure

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't know why it has that name, but SouthPark was likely named by someone in the Belk or Ivey organizations, since they built the mall.

[cosmoboy]

I don't know why it has that name, but SouthPark was likely named by someone in the Belk or Ivey organizations, since they built the mall.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it was meant as a trendy name. Like for soccer moms to say," hey betty you wanna go to southpark with me once I drop jake off for soccer practice." I guess the developers considered it a wealthy name for a wealthy area.

[krazeeboi]

Did the whole "soccer mom" phenomenon even exist back when SP was first developed? Legitimate question for a Black kid raised in a rural environment.

[DigitalSky]

Did the whole "soccer mom" phenomenon even exist back when SP was first developed? Legitimate question for a Black kid raised in a rural environment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably not cuz minivans and SUVs weren't prevalant then

[StevenRocks]

Did the whole "soccer mom" phenomenon even exist back when SP was first developed? Legitimate question for a Black kid raised in a rural environment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You too?

Probably not cuz minivans and SUVs weren't prevalant then

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They did have station wagons. The mothers of today's soccer moms were Little League moms.

After some thought and consulting my area map, I think SouthPark's name has something to do with the mall being South of Park Road.

Neat, huh?

[DigitalSky]

makes sense.

[monsoon]

Does anyone know how SouthPark got its name though or who named it?  That was just my guess.. south of myers or freedom park, but i don't know for sure

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It was most likely named by Johnny Harris or his partner of the Bissell company which developed the place.