Mary Norton Kratt  Writes…  “Where is everything?” people often ask in downtown Charlotte-newcomers who wonder what happened to Charlotte’s urban past, old-timers who wonder now why no one saved the opera house, the Selwyn Hotel, the Phifer House, the Colonel William Johnston House, the Ezekiel Wallace Rock House, the McIntyre Cabin, or the Dewey Bank. Major, controversial battles swirled around the Independence Building and the Masonic Temple. Both were lost. Such was the outcry for these that subsequently, in the dark of a single night, a small architectural jewel on South Church Street vanished- the Industrial Loan and Investment Bank, with its temple façade of carved limestone designed by Martin Boyer in 1929. Seven uptown buildings designated as historic sites were lost between the 1988 publication of a walking tour and its reprinting in 1990. During 1991, three more were destroyed.

Preservation has proved much more successful in the city’s perimeter neighborhoods such as Myers Park and Dilworth, and in singular homes, churches and schools throughout the county. The organized muscle of neighborhood groups armed with lawyers, chiefly the Myers Park Homeowners Association and the Dilworth Community Development Association, proved so formidable in the 1980s that it changed the face of city politics and media coverage. A 1991 bond election approved for the first time a revolving preservation fund to purchase endangered structures. Perimeter towns are claiming small treasures such as the Nancy Reid House in Matthews, a Victorian charmer that was the village doctor’s residence. The college town of Davidson, with its delightful abundance of nineteenth century buildings, has strong support to maintain its authentic character. The Historic Landmarks Commission works vigorously on the present with a view to the significant past, giving annual awards for exception preservation efforts. During twenty years since its organization in 1972, the commission’s patient but vigorous work led to historic-site approval for 179 properties in Mecklenburg County.

In 1950, there were few, if any, public historic sites restored or open for visiting within the county. Particularly since 1975, impressive preservation efforts have enabled these sites to open regularly or by appointment: Afro-American Cultural Center (1911); J.S. Dowd House (1879); Hezekiah Alexander Homesite (1774); Latta Place (1800); James K. Polk Homesite (1795, reconstructed); Saint Mary’s Chapel (1891); Spirit Square (1909); Mint Museum of Art (1835, relocated with additions); Rosedale (c.1815); and Hugh Torance House and Store ( 1770s).”

From: CHARLOTTE SPIRIT OF THE NEW SOUTH BY Mary Norton Kratt, 
John F. Blair, Publisher, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, ISBN 0-89587-095-9