Charlotte's Historic Homes

In the 1700s, Charlotte was just a small settlement where two trading paths crossed. Then came the planters, and the industrialists and merchants, and the developers. All changed the city's character - and its architecture.

Federal Style

By 1831, cotton fields had replaced the woods and thickets along the Catawba River in North Mecklenburg. James Torrance made money selling farmers what they couldn't make themselves, and had the money to build the imposing, four-story Cedar Grove. In those days, successful farmers had their own kilns where slaves fired bricks, and Cedar Grove is a marvel of elegant handiwork.

Italianate

In the mid-19th century, machines made it possible for the middle class to add fancier touches to their houses. Earlier, a box-like building with a flat roof and overhang had found its way into American architecture. But between 1850 and 1880, designers created the more elaborate, High Victorian Italianate style, with porches and columns with fanciful woodwork. The Berryhill/Newcomb house in Fourth Ward is a fine example.

Queen Anne

With better economic times and the coming of the Industrial Age, machines could turn out shingles and newels in large quantities, giving architects the freedom to follow their creative fancy. The result was exuberant Queen Anne architecture, showcased in houses like bright yellow "Victoria" in Plaza Midwood.

Shotgun

Behind the Afro-American Cultural Center in First Ward, you'll find two examples of these long, narrow houses, built in the late 1890s. Charlotte's low- and moderate-income neighborhoods were once filled with these houses, with their weatherboard siding and neighborly front porches. Absentee landlords built them in tight clusters without electricity or indoor plumbing. Because of urban renewal, fewer than three dozen of these houses remain in Charlotte.

Bungalow

Charlotte was booming in the 1890s, with the coming of factories and people who needed housing in a hurry. Along came a wealthy young entrepreneur named Ed Latta, who developed Dilworth, Charlotte's first suburb. Latta hired architect Charles Christian Hook, whose designs included a popular housing style known as the Bungalow. The Martin-Beardsley house, on the corner of Park Road and Ideal Way built in 1915, is a Craftsman style version of the bungalow, with strong Oriental details.

Tudor Revival

English Tudor Revival was popular in Charlotte in the 1920s and 1930s, a style largely influenced by English-born architect William Peeps, who moved to Charlotte in the late 1800s. Peeps was steeped in the designs of his homeland and particularly favored the Tudor Revival style. Characteristic details include decorative half-timbering, tall narrow, windows, steeply pitched roofs and elaborate chimneys. The Lethco-Medearis house in Myers Park is a beautiful example.

Colonial Revival

This solid, no-nonsense style came along at a time when many people felt threatened by changes sweeping the country. Immigration was soaring, and farmers were coming to town to work in factories. Wealthier citizens wanted houses that spurned the frills of the Victorian age, reflecting the sober mood of the times. An outstanding example is the Belk house on Hawthorne Lane, designed by Charles Christian Hook and built in 1925.