Connecting Past and Present in NoDa: Mill Village, Arts District, and Neighborhood FutureKurt L. Garfield, Dr. Aaron Shapiro1

1 Department of History, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Background

Terms and Definitions

Selected Timeline of NoDa

Methods and Results

In the last decade, a stretch of North Davidson Street in North Charlotte has served as the center of the neighborhood that has become popularly known as the NoDa Historic Arts District. The area was initially established as a mill village at the turn of the twentieth century. The neighborhood experienced economic downturn between the 1950s-1970s after the closure of its three mills. During the late 1980s, the neighborhood gained new life as art studios began to move into the old mill village. Since the 1990s the area has seen an influx of new residents, contributing to rapid gentrification. Despite its popularity as a historic arts district, upscale condominiums and apartments are replacing many of the historical structures and art studios. This trend is likely to increase as the LYNX light rail blue line is set to open in 2017.Research Questions: How has NoDa preserved its historical integrity as a historic arts district? In what ways can historic preservation adapt to the forces of gentrification and

urban growth? In what ways can history help foster a sense of place and identity and connect

people within a historic community?

Public History: “A movement, methodology, and approach that promotes the collaborative study and practice of history; its practitioners embrace a mission to make their special insights accessible and useful to the public”—National Council on Public History

Shared Authority: Collaboration with the public is a key feature of public history. The practice of public history aims to decentralize the creation of historical narratives from academia and open the interpretation of history to the public.

Oral History: the collection and study of historical information using sound recordings or interviews with people having personal knowledge of past events. This is one of the most commonly used techniques by public historians.

Preservation: “the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property. Work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction.”—National Park Service

Gentrification: a trend in urban neighborhoods which involves the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, thus improving property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses. This is a common and controversial topic in urban planning and is a major trend in NoDa. Gentrification and preservation often come into conflict with one another. A role of the public historian is to think of new ways to adapt historic preservation to urban growth and gentrification.

Third Places: the social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home (first place) and the workplace (second place). Examples of third places include cafes, parks, restaurants, breweries etc. The community in NoDa benefits from having considerably easy access to a number of third places. Examples within NoDa include Sanctuary, Solstice, Cordelia Park, Smelly Cat Coffeehouse, and Amelie’s among many more.

Self Destruction of Diversity: This particular concept was developed by Jane Jacobs in her book The Life and Death of Great American Cities. Thriving urban districts require a mixture of people and uses acting to mutually sustain and energize a neighborhood. Jacobs argues that a city reaches its highest potential by being diverse. What has a tendency to happen is that, as an area becomes popular, land values go up and rents go up. There is greater demand for and competition for the space. Because of this, the most economically successful use of the moment tends to become increasingly dominant.

1. Pre Mill Village, Plantation Land [1800’s-1903] North Charlotte is mostly farm and swamp land with a sprinkling of residents. The County Poorhouse

is on The Plaza. Much of the land is owned by the Rosedale Plantation. 1896: Charlotte’s Smallpox epidemic hits the area. A stone building at the county home is most likely

used as a “pest house” to sequester the affected. Some may be buried in mass graves.2. Industrial Revolution and the Mills [1903-1968] 1903: Highland Park Mill #3 and surrounding mill village, including Highland Park Inn is established. 1905: Mecklenburg Mill and mill village is established Trolley service is established connecting Uptown to North Charlotte via current North Davidson and

36th streets. 1912: Hand Pharmacy (now Cabo Fish Taco) is built. The second floor hosts lodge and union

meetings. 1916: Johnston Mill opens next to Mecklenburg Mill. 1929: North Charlotte is included in the Charlotte city directories. The district includes a barbershop,

drug store, dry goods store, doctor’s office, and five small grocery stores. 1935: Fire Station #7 opens. The basement includes two jail cells, and prisoners are allegedly

delivered by trolley. 1941: Highland Park #3 Baseball Team finishes second in the 1941 Amateur Baseball World Series. 1946: Astor Theatre opens as a popular movie theater. 1951: Johnston YMCA is built by the Johnston Foundation 1954: A two-year-old boy drowns in Mercury Pond near the water tower at North Davidson and 37 th

Street. This is the third child drowning at this site, sparking residents to demand that the city drain the pond.

3. Economic Downturn [1969-1985] 1969: Both Highland Park and Mecklenburg Mill close, drastically affecting the local economy. The

baseball stand and field behind Highland Mill, once home to the Twilight League and later to youth programs, closes as well.

Astor Theatre (Neighborhood Theatre), after showing B movies in the 1960s, becomes a full-blown XXX movie theater and novelty shop.

1975: Johnston Mill, the last major textile mill in operation in Charlotte, closes.4. Economic Rebirth: From Mill Village to Arts District [1986-2015] 1986: The Historic North Charlotte Neighborhood Association is established to redevelop the mills and

improve the neighborhood. 1989: Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires open Center of the Earth Gallery  – the first gallery in NoDa –

giving birth “The Arts District”. 1995: Fat City Deli opens and anchors the punk/alternative scene in NoDa. Gallery Crawls begin on the first Friday of the month. A second monthly crawl is added later. 1997: Lois Moore Yandle publishes The Spirit of a Proud People, a book celebrating North Charlotte

mill life. 2000’s: Rising rents and the recession caused the galleries to close. Bars, restaurants and shops took

their place. 2009: Despite the recession, Crepe Cellar Kitchen & Pub opens up in the abandoned space that was

formerly Addie’s Jamaican Cuisine. The Matheson Bridge mural was created by William Puckett to celebrate Mecklenburg’s independence

from Great Britain a.k.a. “Meck Dec Day”. Growlers Pour House – a neighborhood bar serving craft beer and beer food - opens at the corner of

N. Davidson and 35th.5.Neighborhood Future [2016- ] 2017: The LYNX Blue Line is set to open in NoDa along 36th street, making the area much more

accessible. This is likely to cause major growth in the area.

Conclusion

This study utilized a number of public history techniques, including oral history interviews, digitization and cataloguing of neighborhood archival material, and photographic documentation. I worked with the committee members to help develop an action plan for continued dissemination of historic material and foster public engagement of the neighborhood’s history within the community. The results of the project included the digitization of much of the Back in the Day Committee’s physical archival material, the creation of an archival database and catalogue, collection of relevant historic material to add to the archives, interviews with committee members, and work on an action plan to help further historical research in the neighborhood. During the summer I crafted articles for publication in the NoDa News, the neighborhood’s local publication.

The purpose of this study carries greater implications beyond the NoDa Historic Arts District. The research conducted and work done for the NoDa Back in the Day Committee can be applied to any historic neighborhood attempting to preserve its history amid challenges posed by urban growth and gentrification. By preserving and identifying a neighborhood’s historical narratives, the public historian can help create an important dialogue between neighbors and residents to foster a sense of place and shared historical authority. This research also identifies the challenges and limitations that a public historian faces in working to preserve a neighborhood’s history and adapting historic preservation to urban growth and gentrification. The research done this summer helped provide the community members with a number of public history tools and techniques for future use.

NoDa Back in the Day CommitteeMission Statement: To document, store, and collect the history of NoDa and to make that information available to residents and visitors of the neighborhood.Background: Back in the day was formed to preserve the history of NoDa, past and present, and to put together a framework for further generations to do the same. They actively conduct interviews with long time residents, formative people who made NoDa NoDa, and the regular awesome people who live there. The committee has worked actively to craft community narratives through their work.

The Historic Rosedale PlantationHighland Park Mill #3

D. A. Tompkins Stuart W. Cramer

Astor Theater in the 1970’s

Children in North Charlotte neighborhood in the 1970’s

The North Davidson mill village in the 1980’s

Paul Sires and Ruth Ava Lyons, founders of Center of the Earth.

Modern day NoDa

Johnston Mill

Concept for the LYNX Blue Line

Map of Historic North Charlotte and NoDa