Evolution of a Skyline: Photos Requested

[cooperdawg]

Please respond with any photos you have, I'm interested to see the evolution of Charlotte's skyline, especially older photos (pre-1990) before BofA Corporate Center was built. I've found a few online, and feel free to link any you find, but I'd also love to see any personal photos taken from those who grew up around here. Thanks in advance.

[Miesian Corners]

I have some, but have to go rummaging through old photos. I tried to get a photo comparison from the same angle a couple of years ago, but could never find a view that worked well. I tried the Marshall Park vista, but when the Government Center was built, it blocked out everything north of the Square. I also tried the Independence/Hawthorne view, but came up short with stuff from the late 60s. I'll post what I come up with.

[Miesian Corners]

This one really tells a story. Nothing like urban renewal to level an entire downtown. This is Charlotte in 1975.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

yea that picture is amazing,so much has happened since then.

[cooperdawg]

surprisingly, that's the only one I've seen.

[Miesian Corners]

Here's a 1966 shot of the Square (looking west). The big white box in the bottom center is Belk (now Bank of America Corporate Center).

[spectacle21]

WOW!!! I've never seen Charlotte from the past. Those are some amazing shots. Downtown has really transformed!

[cooperdawg]

I did come across a photo once of the square around that era, late 60's, early 70's, from the street level. It looked pretty bad, nothing at all compared to what it looks like today.

[Raintree21]

2005 Skyline Photo Contest Winner

From the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce website.

[Raintree21]

1920-1938 era with skyline in the background. Picture is of one of the trollies on Dilworth Road with the Addison Apartment House in background.

From the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission website.

[Raintree21]

View of uptown Charlotte in the mid 1920s. The long shed building near the bottom center of the picture is the Cotton Platform.

From the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission website.

[Raintree21]

1935 postcard of the Charlotte skyline. This view shows that there were no skyscrapers on the east side of Tryon St. Again, the long shed building near the bottom was the Cotton Platform.

From the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission website.

[Raintree21]

1939 postcard of the Charlotte skyline.

From the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission website.

[Raintree21]

1949 postcard of the Charlotte skyline. The three tallest buildings in this view are the Johnston Building, the First National Bank Building, and the Independence Building.

From the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission website.

[Raintree21]

View from the Independence Building, looking north, up Tryon St., from a 1911 postcard.

From the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission website.

[Raintree21]

Charlotte's underpass - "the underpass" - in 1924. Tremendous population growth and economic development in the 1920s shifted Charlotte's infrastructure toward what we see today.

From the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission website.

[UptownJ]

its great to see how things change over the years... it would be neat to see that back in the day

[kickazzz2000]

i get pissed off every time i see the 1975 after tha 1966

[monsoon]

I took this photo in the 1980s from a moving car with a cheap camera. I've got one from 1979 that I took from Freedom Drive, but I have to find it and scan it in.

[rockhilljames]

Holy crap! Metro, that photo rocks!

Looks like they're building 1FU. I remember when that went up. After that was built it was the defining skyscraper in Charlotte until BofA Corp. I remember how most logos that reflected a "city" theme had some sort of stylized version of that building.

Now it's mainly ignored when our skyline is referenced. This photo shows why it was such a big deal when it was built.

COOL!

[NC0775]

Trivia: I'm not sure how many of you might remember what the box for the original Civilization PC game looked like, but this late 80's version of the Charlotte skyline (with 1 FU completed) was featured on the front.

[Neo]

Trivia: I'm not sure how many of you might remember what the box for the original Civilization PC game looked like, but this late 80's version of the Charlotte skyline (with 1 FU completed) was featured on the front.

[NC0775]

Thanks Neo! Where did you find that picture? I looked around a little on the internet, but didn't see it anywhere.

[Neo]

Thanks Neo!  Where did you find that picture?  I looked around a little on the internet, but didn't see it anywhere.

Gotta love Google!

[Norm2]

Wow that is so awesome that Charlotte's skyline was on the original Civilization game!