NoDa (N Davidson St Arts District) Projects

[go_vertical]

For a long while half of Fu's Custom Tattoo was gallery space as well. 

[3397char]

5 hours ago, ATxIn said:

I have autism, which does make me strange, I guess. I wish the powers that be would stop marketing NoDa as an "Arts District," as there are no galleries,  working studios, or performances of art, dance, open mic, stand up  or musicals. We have Neighborhood Theatre and Evening Muse for music at night, and that's it.  No festivals, nothing. 

First, there are no "powers that be."  No one owns the name NoDa and no one controls how it is marketed.

The NoDa Neighborhood and Business Association (NoDa NBA) defines its borders as Matheson Ave, N Tryon St, E Sugar Creek and The Plaza.  Yet you will find dozens of businesses and tons more real estate listings outside of those boundaries calling themselves NoDa or marketing their property as NoDa.  

Similarly, no one controls street vendors.  The Supreme Court has determined that 1st amendment rights extend to solicitors in the public square, so the only real limitation they have is that they must have a business permit to sell and they cannot block the ROW.  That limits the police to basically just nuisance calls and the police have said-without-saying that this is not the best use of their time. Some in the local business community has looked into all sorts of options for limiting or even curating street vending and so far has not found anything workable.

There is almost zero retail in "downtown Noda" i.e. the intersection of N Davidson and 36th and 2 blocks south.  Pura Vida World art (which does indeed have art by the way) is the only product vendor that survived COVID.  . The rest are all service, restaurant, bar and entertainment businesses.  The success of the Arts District has elevated rents to the point that galleries cant afford to stay open. So yes, the gallery crawls circa 2002 are a thing of the past. But there are multiple art related businesses and non-profits in other areas of NoDa (see boundaries above) or just outside of those boundaries an places that call themselves NoDa. And there are even more artists who live/work in NoDa but without a brick-and-mortar store  you can shop at. 

So if "The Arts District" rubs you the wrong way,  I suggest you refer to NoDa the same way I do:  an "Arts and Entertainment District."  Despite the gentrification, NoDa remains a diverse, vibrant counter-culture community like no other in Charlotte.   That is likely why the Arts District name remains: people recognize the vibe. 

[MrBluePrint]

2 hours ago, 3397char said:

First, there are no "powers that be."  No one owns the name NoDa and no one controls how it is marketed.

The NoDa Neighborhood and Business Association (NoDa NBA) defines its borders as Matheson Ave, N Tryon St, E Sugar Creek and The Plaza.  Yet you will find dozens of businesses and tons more real estate listings outside of those boundaries calling themselves NoDa or marketing their property as NoDa.  

Similarly, no one controls street vendors.  The Supreme Court has determined that 1st amendment rights extend to solicitors in the public square, so the only real limitation they have is that they must have a business permit to sell and they cannot block the ROW.  That limits the police to basically just nuisance calls and the police have said-without-saying that this is not the best use of their time. Some in the local business community has looked into all sorts of options for limiting or even curating street vending and so far has not found anything workable.

There is almost zero retail in "downtown Noda" i.e. the intersection of N Davidson and 36th and 2 blocks south.  Pura Vida World art (which does indeed have art by the way) is the only product vendor that survived COVID.  . The rest are all service, restaurant, bar and entertainment businesses.  The success of the Arts District has elevated rents to the point that galleries cant afford to stay open. So yes, the gallery crawls circa 2002 are a thing of the past. But there are multiple art related businesses and non-profits in other areas of NoDa (see boundaries above) or just outside of those boundaries an places that call themselves NoDa. And there are even more artists who live/work in NoDa but without a brick-and-mortar store  you can shop at. 

So if "The Arts District" rubs you the wrong way,  I suggest you refer to NoDa the same way I do:  an "Arts and Entertainment District."  Despite the gentrification, NoDa remains a diverse, vibrant counter-culture community like no other in Charlotte.   That is likely why the Arts District name remains: people recognize the vibe. 

You're right. There's no one "power, " but I suppose it traces back to the city's tourism marketing, which trickles down to realtors, apartment marketing, and so on. The only vibe we have now is "trashy."  That aspect noticeably ramped up with the advent of Crowntown Cannabis.  The YMCA won't even fix its fence. It's not worth the trouble. Decline feeds decline. The "powers that be" should have recognized the power and opportunity that comes from artists working and flourishing in your midst. There is not one developer willing to give space over to saving the arts in NoDa. Not one.  Now I hear the Neighborhood Theatre/Salud building is for sale or maybe even sold.

[kermit]

12 hours ago, ATxIn said:

Now I hear the Neighborhood Theatre/Salud building is for sale or maybe even sold.

You heard right. Sold yesterday for $10.3 million

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2023/02/17/aj-capital-partners-buys-neighborhood-theatre.html

[JRCLT]

NoDa to me just means North Davidson Corridor above uptown…What is referred to as NoDa is just North Charlotte. Yet they have just sort of merged in meaning.

[Desert Power]

7 hours ago, kermit said:

You heard right. Sold yesterday for $10.3 million

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2023/02/17/aj-capital-partners-buys-neighborhood-theatre.html

Oh boy...

[MrBluePrint]

7 hours ago, kermit said:

You heard right. Sold yesterday for $10.3 million

Damn.  Sometimes I hate being right.

[Miesian Corners]

On 2/17/2023 at 11:50 AM, ATxIn said:

I have autism, which does make me strange, I guess. I wish the powers that be would stop marketing NoDa as an "Arts District," as there are no galleries,  working studios, or performances of art, dance, open mic, stand up  or musicals. We have Neighborhood Theatre and Evening Muse for music at night, and that's it.  No festivals, nothing. 

When I moved to Charlotte in 1988, the neighborhood was known as "North Charlotte." The artists who moved into the area and filled the (empty at the time) commercial buildings actually did own and operate many art galleries. There was an actual "gallery crawl" one Friday every month. There would be no "NoDa" if it weren't for the folks who owned Center of the Earth gallery, now known as Lyons Fine Art. From their website: "

Lyons Fine art Consulting was born after the 2010 closing of Center Of The Earth Gallery, a leading contemporary art gallery in the southeast for 22 years. Owners Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires opened the gallery  after major renovations in an abandoned mill village known as the town of North Charlotte. In 1985 Lyons and Sires pioneered the Historic North Charlotte Arts District, now called NODA. Only 2.5 miles from uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, this mill village prospered when “cotton was king” and collapsed when the mills closed. The couple restored the 1927 Lowder Building which housed Center of the Earth Gallery and other artists owned businesses. They were voted “Best Gallery” by many local and regional publications for two decades.

Lyons and Sires continued to renovate nearby buildings as part of an ongoing revitalization effort and actively participate in beautification efforts. As the gallery and its owners continued to spur development in the area, other artists and businesses gravitated there as well and helped create a cultural synergy that can only be found in NODA.

Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires have been recognized with a Governor’s Business Award in the Arts. This award recognizes their efforts as the pioneers of the NODA Arts District and their impact on the city of Charlotte.

[Nathan2]

On 2/17/2023 at 8:30 PM, ATxIn said:

You're right. There's no one "power, " but I suppose it traces back to the city's tourism marketing, which trickles down to realtors, apartment marketing, and so on. The only vibe we have now is "trashy."  That aspect noticeably ramped up with the advent of Crowntown Cannabis.  The YMCA won't even fix its fence. It's not worth the trouble. Decline feeds decline. The "powers that be" should have recognized the power and opportunity that comes from artists working and flourishing in your midst. There is not one developer willing to give space over to saving the arts in NoDa. Not one.  Now I hear the Neighborhood Theatre/Salud building is for sale or maybe even sold.

Why did you move to NoDa if its such a trashy and miserable place? Most people would kill to own or live in NoDa, as its one of the few areas in the whole city that has culture and diversity. 

[Hushpuppy321]

On 2/18/2023 at 4:19 PM, ATxIn said:

Damn.  Sometimes I hate being right.

Is that Sale a bad thing or a wait & see what the developer has in store?

[Desert Power]

15 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Is that Sale a bad thing or a wait & see what the developer has in store?

Not sure the age of that building, but it has always felt a bit run down behind the scenes. Seeing that purchase makes me worried about spots like Sanctuary and Neighborhood Theater.

[MrBluePrint]

It wasn't this trashy when I moved here. It's gone downhill in the past two years. Really, it tracks right along with the addition of Crowntown Cannibas and the street vendors. 

On 2/17/2023 at 1:51 AM, san said:

You’re strange but I will agree that NoDa is definitely not an arts district. There really should be an attempt at creating an artist community there since TAC gallery was genuinely the only place that even supported artists there.

 

18 hours ago, Miesian Corners said:

When I moved to Charlotte in 1988, the neighborhood was known as "North Charlotte." The artists who moved into the area and filled the (empty at the time) commercial buildings actually did own and operate many art galleries. There was an actual "gallery crawl" one Friday every month. There would be no "NoDa" if it weren't for the folks who owned Center of the Earth gallery, now known as Lyons Fine Art. From their website: "

Lyons Fine art Consulting was born after the 2010 closing of Center Of The Earth Gallery, a leading contemporary art gallery in the southeast for 22 years. Owners Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires opened the gallery  after major renovations in an abandoned mill village known as the town of North Charlotte. In 1985 Lyons and Sires pioneered the Historic North Charlotte Arts District, now called NODA. Only 2.5 miles from uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, this mill village prospered when “cotton was king” and collapsed when the mills closed. The couple restored the 1927 Lowder Building which housed Center of the Earth Gallery and other artists owned businesses. They were voted “Best Gallery” by many local and regional publications for two decades.

Lyons and Sires continued to renovate nearby buildings as part of an ongoing revitalization effort and actively participate in beautification efforts. As the gallery and its owners continued to spur development in the area, other artists and businesses gravitated there as well and helped create a cultural synergy that can only be found in NODA.

Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires have been recognized with a Governor’s Business Award in the Arts. This award recognizes their efforts as the pioneers of the NODA Arts District and their impact on the city of Charlotte.

 

5 hours ago, Nathan2 said:

Why did you move to NoDa if its such a trashy and miserable place? Most people would kill to own or live in NoDa, as its one of the few areas in the whole city that has culture and diversity. 

Where is the culture and diversity you speak of? All my neighbors are white and can afford million dollar homes; there's no diversity in terms of race or other demographics.  The only POC I see are working here in some capacity. There are two music venues, but no local music scene that I can see. No art galleries, no working artist studios, no dance studios or performances, no theatres, stand-up, spoken word, no festivals or farmer's markets.

The culture is at Camp North End, where there are actually artist-owned and artist-run spaces. Goodyear Arts, etc.  And in the new "Trailhead District"...The Independent Picture House is wonderful, but it's not in "NoDa." SouthEnd has C3 lab, and downtown has the Vapa Center and Brooklyn Arts.  Theatre in Charlotte is essentially dead, unfortunately. 

I'm lamenting the fact that there is no art or culture in the "Arts District".  I don't know how NoDa lost it or how we can get it back.  I think if something isn't done soon, NoDa will lose its personality altogether.  It's a shame there's no real art being created here. 

[jf430]

2 hours ago, ATxIn said:

It wasn't this trashy when I moved here. It's gone downhill in the past two years. Really, it tracks right along with the addition of Crowntown Cannibas and the street vendors. 

 

 

Where is the culture and diversity you speak of? All my neighbors are white and can afford million dollar homes; there's no diversity in terms of race or other demographics.  The only POC I see are working here in some capacity. There are two music venues, but no local music scene that I can see. No art galleries, no working artist studios, no dance studios or performances, no theatres, stand-up, spoken word, no festivals or farmer's markets.

The culture is at Camp North End, where there are actually artist-owned and artist-run spaces. Goodyear Arts, etc.  And in the new "Trailhead District"...The Independent Picture House is wonderful, but it's not in "NoDa." SouthEnd has C3 lab, and downtown has the Vapa Center and Brooklyn Arts.  Theatre in Charlotte is essentially dead, unfortunately. 

I'm lamenting the fact that there is no art or culture in the "Arts District".  I don't know how NoDa lost it or how we can get it back.  I think if something isn't done soon, NoDa will lose its personality altogether.  It's a shame there's no real art being created here. 

Regarding the 'Arts District' moniker.  A good neighborhood friend who worked at every mill in North Charlotte at one time or another always had the best stories about old the neighborhood.  He would talk about how he (in a very kind and good natured way) would kid the gallery owners about how 'you know we'd been here about a 100 years before you guys ever showed up and started calling this place NoDa'.  The point I'm trying to make is that the 'Arts District' was one fantastic chapter in the very long book that is North Charlotte.

[kermit]

30 minutes ago, jf430 said:

Regarding the 'Arts District' moniker.  A good neighborhood friend who worked at every mill in North Charlotte at one time or another always had the best stories about old the neighborhood.  He would talk about how he (in a very kind and good natured way) would kid the gallery owners about how 'you know we'd been here about a 100 years before you guys ever showed up and started calling this place NoDa'.  The point I'm trying to make is that the 'Arts District' was one fantastic chapter in the very long book that is North Charlotte.

Completely agree with your point. I'll add [because I am pedantic, not because you implied otherwise]  that the chronology was:

Textiles flourished --> Textiles left --> Real Estate Prices declined --> Artists moved in

The Arts district / artists / gentrification / $20 fried chicken was not why the textile industry left North Charlotte.

Edited February 20, 2023 by kermit

[jf430]

19 minutes ago, kermit said:

Completely agree with your point. I'll add [because I am pedantic, not because you implied otherwise]  that the chronology was:

Textiles flourished --> Textiles left --> Real Estate Prices declined --> Artists moved in

The Arts district / artists / gentrification / $20 fried chicken was not why the textile industry left North Charlotte.

100% correct.  

 

Now if can we just get our trolly running from Heist up Davidson and then over to Electric Park/the Bodega back we'll be in business.  I'm sure Engine 7 won't mind (sarcastic blue font)

[KJHburg]

I knew someone who grew up in North Charlotte aka what we now call NoDa.  She does not like what it has become now and lives in Concord.  At least the old textile mills are still there and reused.  

[Norm2]

Neighborhoods change, for better or worse. The "starving artist" phase was always going to be a phase. Artists and musicians live and perform where rent is cheaper. Once the neighborhood becomes popular, the artists of course get pushed out and they find another neighborhood to move to. NoDa on it's current form isn't trashy. It looks like a lot different when I lived there back in 2003....

[CLT Development]

On 2/17/2023 at 8:30 PM, ATxIn said:

You're right. There's no one "power, " but I suppose it traces back to the city's tourism marketing, which trickles down to realtors, apartment marketing, and so on. The only vibe we have now is "trashy."  That aspect noticeably ramped up with the advent of Crowntown Cannabis.  The YMCA won't even fix its fence. It's not worth the trouble. Decline feeds decline. The "powers that be" should have recognized the power and opportunity that comes from artists working and flourishing in your midst. There is not one developer willing to give space over to saving the arts in NoDa. Not one.  Now I hear the Neighborhood Theatre/Salud building is for sale or maybe even sold.

Do yourself and all of us a favor then, MOVE. This reeks of racism and exclusion. You clearly have no actual love of this neighborhood. As far as the neighborhood theatre goes, everyone on the block has a long term lease and the new buyer intends to honor that. I've talked to every single party involved  and a few of the tenants. So hurry up and move to the arboretum or wherever would be quiet and white enough for you.

[carolinaboy]

2 hours ago, CLT Development said:

Do yourself and all of us a favor then, MOVE. This reeks of racism and exclusion. You clearly have no actual love of this neighborhood. As far as the neighborhood theatre goes, everyone on the block has a long term lease and the new buyer intends to honor that. I've talked to every single party involved  and a few of the tenants. So hurry up and move to the arboretum or wherever would be quiet and white enough for you.

He cares enough about his neighborhood to criticize issues he sees. 

I appreciate your immense contributions here CLT Development, but your response was a little over-the-top.

[Reverie39]

Always amazes me how emotional people can get on a forum meant to just bring together urban planning enthusiasts. 

[SgtCampsalot]

The poster is upset at several VERY VALID social, political, and economic issues that are baked into our society.  I don't think, however, they've managed to name those root issues for themselves, so they're expressing their anger at people who, to be fair, may not see those root issues, either (or if they do, may not see them as a problem/a very big problem).

The struggle is: I) finding an environment/community where those frustrations are heard within their proper context, II) understanding those root issues enough to understand what's causing the things that bother you, rather than getting angry at the surface reasons, which are the byproduct (and often valid for frustrations, as well, but not when addressed as *THE* problem).

 

[RANYC]

36 & NODA: half an acre, 28,000 square feet, $10.3 million purchase price —- this site must be getting run through so many financial model scenarios contemplating a definite intensification of uses.  

Glad to hear the tenants have long-term leases.  Hopefully there aren’t provisions allowing the new landlord to buy tenants out of their existing leases, or even more perniciously, sometimes these acquisition prices actually include the lease termination payments needed to buy out tenants.

At any rate, this is why I’m an advocate of systematically-placed neighborhood civic spaces.  Publicly-owned spaces and their features have staying power.  When a community can stake its identity and sense of heritage and history on monuments, squares, gardens, and other community amenities, then the intangibles bonding people to the location and to each other can outlast private market transactions and vagaries.

I’m more pumped about the new park along 36th and what it can represent as a community gathering place and a showcase of NODA personality and history, because so many other elements of current day NODA will turn over in the relatively near future. 

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by RANYC

[CLT Development]

4 hours ago, RANYC said:

36 & NODA: half an acre, 28,000 square feet, $10.3 million purchase price —- this site must be getting run through so many financial model scenarios contemplating a definite intensification of uses.  

Glad to hear the tenants have long-term leases.  Hopefully there aren’t provisions allowing the new landlord to buy tenants out of their existing leases, or even more perniciously, sometimes these acquisition prices actually include the lease termination payments needed to buy out tenants.

At any rate, this is why I’m an advocate of systematically-placed neighborhood civic spaces.  Publicly-owned spaces and their features have staying power.  When a community can stake its identity and sense of heritage and history on monuments, squares, gardens, and other community amenities, then the intangibles bonding people to the location and to each other can outlast private market transactions and vagaries.

I’m more pumped about the new park along 36th and what it can represent as a community gathering place and a showcase of NODA personality and history, because so many other elements of current day NODA will turn over in the relatively near future. 

 

Their financial scenario says that there is a 954-seat music venue with a true sloped floor transition that offers great line of sight, that could use a ton of TLC. I don’t know if you have been there with the house lights on, its gross. Fix it up, put some money into marketing, get a independent operator and you have an amazing space for local, regional and even national acts.\

Today they put out in a statement that they “,will maintain the authentic use of Neighborhood Theatre as a storied piece of our city’s history.”

Edited February 22, 2023 by CLT Development

[RANYC]

17 minutes ago, CLT Development said:

Their financial scenario says that there is a 954-seat music venue with a true sloped floor transition that offers great line of sight, that could use a ton of TLC. I don’t know if you have been there with the house lights on, its gross. Fix it up, put some money into marketing, get a independent operator and you have an amazing space for local, regional and even national acts.\

Today they put out in a statement that they “,will maintain the authentic use of Neighborhood Theatre as a storied piece of our city’s history.”

Look, net-net, I'm pretty excited for what AJ Capital might bring.  This is the development firm that recruited Soho House to Nashville.  I'm just not sure that block will stay the way it is.  I did see the comments from the seller reps, but I was withholding judgment until I heard from the new owners or at least owners' reps.  But you sound very confident so I suppose you have inside scoop.

[CLT Development]

19 hours ago, Reverie39 said:

Always amazes me how emotional people can get on a forum meant to just bring together urban planning enthusiasts. 

I’d like to apologize to @ATxIn for being a jerk but I wanted to address a few of their claims and why they pissed me off enough to go after them. I am a resident of the neighborhood and a big time advocate for the small businesses that call it home and it’s residents both past, present and future. Its why I am a board member of the NoDa NBA.

Developers not supporting artists: 

The "powers that be" should have recognized the power and opportunity that comes from artists working and flourishing in your midst. There is not one developer willing to give space over to saving the arts in NoDa. 

Developers have been among the largest supporters of local artists in Charlotte, they bring in mural artists, creatives, designers to give their buildings a local flare, and they largely do not use commercial art services unlike suburban developers. 

I’m also personally working on three different spaces with developers and artists at the helm. One an experimental art space, like GoodYear Arts did at Ally Charlotte Center, in a building along North Davidson Street. Another an artist-in-residence space. Another a sculpture garden with local art. All this in either NoDa or Villa Heights. Many local developers understand that there is a desperate need for creatives.

There are 12-16 new micro-retail (or just larger than) spaces planned in NoDa between the YMCA, Centro NoDa, and Spacecraft’s project on 36th Street. There are three houses in the process of being converted to new uses as well. Saying this neighborhood is on a decline is laughable. These will perfect for galleries, jewelry stores, plant shops, more. One of Spacecraft’s 1,200 square-foot retail units will be listed at significantly below market value, and target small business and non-profits.

If you want artists to thrive in Charlotte I encourage everyone to buy local art. I personally support the local art community whenever I can.

Saying NoDa is getting “trashy:”

Their reasons are: 
• A somewhat broken fence that will just be replaced by a construction fence in like 6-12 months. And its a gritty neighborhood, go to East 6th in Austin, makes NoDa look like you could eat off the pavement.
• A Cannabis store. What is this 1952? 
• Street Vendors, many of whom have been here more than a decade, and add tremendously to the vibrancy of the street. They don’t hurt anyone, they sell different wares than the businesses. I was on South Congress Street in Austin this weekend and they had street vendors EVERYWHERE. This is vibrancy, not trash. These vendors are highly diverse, entrepreneurial and are just looking for space, and what better space than a weekly popup for people to enjoy.

Saying that the entire neighborhoods is just for rich white people: 

I do agree that the neighborhood is going the wrong way as far as affordability goes, but there are a good chunk of workforce housing, below market, and at market value housing being built in the neighborhood. Coveting Single Family only all over Charlotte has hurt the entire city. Housing aside the visitors of this neighborhood are incredibly diverse and as @3397charmentioned “NoDa remains a diverse, vibrant counter-culture community like no other in Charlotte. That is likely why the Arts District name remains: people recognize the vibe.”

"No galleries,  working studios, or performances of art, dance, open mic, stand up or musicals"
I have literally attended every single one of these things this year in NoDa. EVERY SINGLE ONE, including two of these in the past two weeks! We, the neighborhood business association are currently creating a calendar for a new revamped website and a portal for people to submit their events in a free and easy manner. 

Edited February 22, 2023 by CLT Development