Diverse styles mingle in NoDa
2 residential projects, 1 edgy, 1 classic, spring up close together

Funky is the buzzword in NoDa, where purple houses and airy loft condos punctuate the residential streetscape.

But -- surprise, surprise -- traditional design still survives, sometimes in the shadow of the modern and the edgy.

Nowhere will that be more apparent than at the corner of Wesley Avenue and East 36th Street, about five blocks from the heart of NoDa.

Owner Steve Galit is converting a two-building apartment complex in the 3200 block of Wesley to eight Arts & Crafts architectural style condos.

Arts & Crafts (also referred to as Craftsman or bungalow) style is prevalent in Plaza-Midwood, Elizabeth, Dilworth and other close-in neighborhoods.

Such homes generally feature natural materials, siding or shingle exteriors with brick accents, porches and exposed rafter tails and joists along the roof line.

Across Wesley, Tuscan Development has started NoDa18, six nontraditional penthouses and 12 townhouses featuring tall windows, corrugated metal panels and colorful exterior lighting.

Tuscan's Ray "Rip" Farris III announced his project about two weeks ago, while Galit was quietly toiling to complete work on Wesley Corner Condominiums.

Prices in NoDa18 range from $125,000 to $140,000. At Wesley Corner, one-bedroom units start at $92,500 and two-bedroom units at $135,000.

Galit believes the projects will complement each other, giving buyers a choice of products and drawing more homeowners into the neighborhood's revitalization.

NoDa's continuing resurgence actually is what persuaded him the time was right to convert his apartments to condos after more than 20 years.

The upswing began in the 1970s when actors, dancers and artists moved in to reclaim deteriorating houses. Over the past decade, the trendy arts district has attracted more young professionals and lost some of its bohemian flair.

The neighborhood -- known to natives as North Charlotte -- traces its roots to the early 1900s when homes and businesses sprang up around Highland Manufacturing Co., a textile mill. New businesses and churches flocked to the area, served in the early days by a trolley.

In recent years, office, apartment and condo developers have plunged in with new construction and renovation projects.

Galit expects to spend roughly $600,000 on remodeling and replacing heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical systems in his two buildings -- a single-story and a two-story.

The project includes four one-bedroom units, about 600 square feet each, and four two-bedroom units, roughly 1,000 square feet apiece.

Features include front porches, private patios, hardwood floors, granite countertops, maple kitchen cabinets and tile backsplashes above kitchen sinks.

Galit said Neighborhood Realty, the project's real estate sales agent, plans an open house at the site Sunday.