FoREWORD by Hugh L. McColl Jr. Entertainer Eddie Cantor once said. "It tokes 20 years to make on overnight success." When I survey the evolution of Charlotte's Center City and the surrounding area. Cantor's comment frequently comes to mind.
Fifty years ago I moved to this city to begin my bonking career. The Liberty Life building-now the home of SunTrust-on South Tryon Street was the tallest building in North and South Carolina. Completed In 1927. the building still stands at 20 stories. At that time. most of the other bonks In town were housed In low-rise buildings.
Today. Bonk of America Corporate Center crowns the city's skyline as it stands 60 stories high. making It the tallest building between Atlanta and Philadelphia. Filled with dozens of toll buildings that easil y surpass Liberty Ute's 20 floors. Charlotte's skyline Is indicative of the region's progress.
As crones pepper Center City. bringing the visions of architects and developers as well as community and corporate leaders to life. a newcomer could be fooled into thinking the city's growth is a recent phenomenon. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Charlotte has been fortunate to hove visionary leaders who believed In the c lty' s future and were smart enough to figure out a way to get there. A. G. Odell Jr.. a prized architect who founded Odell Associates and was a champion of urban planning. was one such visionary.
Alpha Mill- Crosland, page 86
In the mld-1960s Odell develOped a comprehensive plan to remake Center City. In II he advocated the creatiOn of a squore at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets In additiOn to a business district. an arts district. a governmental distriCt. residential housing and the construction of a convention/civic center.
When John Belk was mayor In the early 1970s, he pushed for the development of the square In Center City. That push Inspired NCNB-now Bank of America-to build a 40-story g lass tower and the c ity to build the Charlotte Civic Center that Odell envisioned and a lso designed. La ter on, First Union-now Wells Forgo-followed suit with a 32-story skyscraper.
Prior to becoming president of NCNB In 1974, I traveled the globe running the bank's lnternotlonol and notional divisiOns. During my travels, I became enamored with the cities of the world and mode mental notes of what captivated me about those cities. When my focus shifted to CharlOtte In the mid-19705, I used that knowledge while working with Harvey Gantt on a committee dedicated to updating Odell's plan. Gantt, a prominent CharlOtte architect who would serve as the city's mayor In the 1980s, had a master's In city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later designed the city's controversial transportation center.
Through our work I realized quickly that Charlotte was fortunate because It hod an Inner belt loop that c learly defined Center City. It is approximately one mile In each direction from the square to the belt loop, which lent itself to good planning, as it a llowed the city a four-square-mile central business d istrict.
I was Interested In all of this because being In a leadership position at the bank, I was convinced that if you wanted to attract good people, you hod to hove a city that was fun to live in. I spent the next 30 to 40 years trying to make that happen.
Today as I look at Charlotte, I'm proud of the city we've become. A healthy economy has allowed architects and developers to express themselves along our skyline in a meaningful way. The pages In City by Design Charlotte are a testament to that. With the implementation of rapid transit throughout our city and the region, the continuation of remarkable development Is a given.
For years, leaders in our community have visited other cities to see what they did right and, more Importantly, what they did wrong. Perhaps the biggest compliment of our progress Is the fact that other cities are now visiting us to see how good planning can Indeed render overnight success.
Metropolitan, Colonial Properties Trust Pappas Properties, Cdlett & Associates, page 64
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+ Culture, We/IS Fargo & Company, page 172
NTRODUCTON Each day we pass by hundreds of buildings-a melange of old and new works of architecture-that we like ly take for granted. not for lack of Interest but because life's frenetic pace often prohibits asking why, how, when and through whose creativity d id the built environment around us come to fruition. Yet It Is these very structures, unassuming or prominently placed. that create the brilliantly complex urban and suburban landscapes where our lives unfold.
Imagine being afforded the rare opportunity to gaze Inside the walls and a round the perimeter of these buildings that a re equal parts mysterious. familiar and alluring. Imagine meeting their creators and d iscovering the forward-thinking design savvy behind the selection of each materiaL the placement of each door and window, the sculptura l use of both c lassical and contemporary architectural forms. Now turn the page-commence an invigorating journey that Is sure to Ignite your appreciation o r renew your passion for Charl otte's architectural fabric.
You w ill Immediately d iscern City by Design Charlotte as unique among architectural collections. Indeed. it boosts vibrant photographs of stimulating designs. melded with insightful editoria l, yet It does not endeavor to present merely the tallest, w idest. newest oldest or greenest buildings. More precisely, It Is a rich, diverse collection of the city's best-from landmark skyscrapers that define Charlotte's majestic skyline to smaller, thoughtfully designed edifices of some of the suburbs' best-kept secrets. It is a reglonol compilation of masterfull y conceived structures considered preeminent by the locall y based architects and developers who have turned Intangible ideas Into built realities that w ill be enjoyed for generations to come.
Mercedes-Benz of South Charlotte, Frydav & Dovne, page 122
CoNTENTS CHAPTER ONE- BUILT TO PLAY AND STAY
Gateway Lofts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 David Furman Architecture
Ballantyne Resort Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Metropolitan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
LSJP ASSOCIATES LTD.
Colonial Properties Trust
Bank of America Stadium . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Carolina Panthers
ParkTowne Village .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Pappas Properties Collett & Associates
Parkwood Knoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Studio Fusion, pa
The Ghazi Company
Phillips Place . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Piedmont Town Center .. . .. .. . . . . .. . 72 LSJP ASSOCIATES LTD.
Lincoln Harris Pappas Properties Hampton Inn & Suites
Roswell Place . . .. . . .. . .. . . . . . .. . . 76 Studio Fusion, pa
Time Warner Cable Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Vaughan Lakeside Residence . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Ellerbe Becket
U.S. National Whitewater Center . . . . . . . . . 36
Liquid Design Andujar Construction
Liquid Design
CHAPTER THREE - CiTY PROJECTS CHAPTER Two - URBAN LIVING Alpha Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Courtside and TradeMark . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Crosland
David Furman Architecture
Charlotte Convention Center . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Birkdale Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Crosland Pappas Properties
Blakeney.
Charlotte•Douglas International Airport Parking Deck . . . . . . . . 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Crosland
First Ward David Furman Architecture
Bonk of Ame1ico Corporate Center, Bonk of America, p age 110 Photograph by Patrick Schneider
The FWA Group, Architects
. . . . .. . . . . . . 56
The Wilson Group LSJP ASSOCIATES LTD.
The Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Pursuit Group
CHAPTER FouR - INDusTRY LEADERs
CHAPTER SIX - CITY FUTURES
Queens University of Charlotte . . . . . . . . . . 104 Jenkins• Peer Architects
EpiCentre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 The Ghazi Company
Bank of America Corporate Center . . . . . . . . 110 Bank ofAmerica
28th Row . . . . . Studio Fusion, pa
Davidson College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Jenkins•Peer Architects
300 South Tryon . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . 160 LSJP ASSOCIATES LTD.
Johnson & Wales University . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 LSJP ASSOCIATES LTD
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art . . . Wells Fargo & Company
Mercedes-Benz of South Charlotte . . . . Fryday & Doyne
122
Encore . . . . . Pursuit Group
126
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture .. . . . . . . 172 Wells Fargo & Comp;my
UNC Charlotte's Robinson Hall . . Jenkins•Peer Architects
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CHAPTER FIVE - SusTAINING GROWTH
Little Sugar Creek Greenway Esplanade . . . . . 136 LandDesign
the Sanctuary . . . . Crescent Communities
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Knight Theater. . . . . . . . . . . Wells Fatgo & Company
lmaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center . . .. 132 Gantt Huberman Architects Holzman Moss Architecture
Lowe's Customer Support Center Mooresville-Phase Ill. LSJP ASSOCIATES LTD.
. . . . . . . . . • . . . . . 156
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The Mint Museum .. Wells Fargo & Company 0
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NASCAR Plaza Office Tower. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP LSJP ASSOCIATES LTD.
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164
168
17 6
180
. . . . . 184
140
UNC Charlotte Student Union . . . . . . . . . . . 188 The FWA Group, Architects
144
Duke Energy Center .. Wells Fargo & Company
0
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Wells Fargo Cultural Campus . . . . . Wells Fargo & Company Wells Fargo Cultural Campus Condominium Project . . . . . Wells Fargo & Company
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200 Metropolitan. Colonial Properties Trust. Pappas Properties. Collett & Associates. page 64
Piedmont Town Center
••••••••••••••••
LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD.
··-
••••
Conveniently located near Interstate 77, the SouthPork area of Charlotte has long been known for offering some of the best office
space and shopping In the region. Because of Its convenience and proximity to the area's most affluent neighborhoods, It comes as no surprise that Neiman Marcus selected SouthPork moll for Its first and only location In the Carolinas.
LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD has designed much of the SouthPork area's growth, as the architectural firm redesigned and expanded SouthPork moll as well as moster planned and designed Phillips Place and Morrocroft, two venerable mixed-use developments that continue to thrive. As the firm has pioneered mixed-use models throughout the area, It a ltered these principles to create Piedmont Town Center, a higher density mixed-use project that Is more of on urban hub.
FACING PAGE: In the evenings, street life at Piedmont Town Center focuses on the central piazza with its concentration of restaurants at the main roundabout and Signature fountain. Photograph by Gerln Choiniere
Developed by Crescent Resources LLC and Lincoln Harris. Piedmont Town Center Is a masterplanned,
as a central roundabout of the project. Accented with intricate, multicolored brickwork, the piazza Is
mixed-use urban development located on 12 acres of prime SouthPark real estate. It features 415.000
reminiscent of a sunburst and serves as the perfect centering point.
square feet of office space, 90,000 square feet of street-level retail and restaurants. 179 luxurious condominium units. a YMCA and two 1,000-car parking structures.
Brio Tuscan Grille, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, The Oceanaire Seafood Room and Dolcetto Wine Bar a ll offer outdoor seating on the piazza. making It a wonderful place to socialize and people
Led by architect Jim Wi lliams, the design team at LS3P wanted Piedmont Town Center to be more than
watch. In addition. Brio features a lovely dining terrace, while the 15.000-square-foot Del Frisco 's space
just another mixed-use development; they wanted It to be a gathering place similar to an urban square
features a 5.000-square-foot subterranean wine cellar that can be reached by an escalator.
In Europe. One of the ways they accomplished this was by designing a piazza crowned w ith a fountain
While the buildings are traditional In nature. they feature large expanses of glass and several different finishes of a high-grade architectural precast. The residential buildings are designed to recall individual buildings on a streetscape. Despite the variety of materials used throughout the project. there Is a consistent cast-stone base on ail the buildings that unifies the project.
As SouthPark continues to evolve into even more of an urban hub, Piedmont Town Center's Integrated design offers the perfect live. work and play atmosphere that so many people desire In today·s hectic world.
ABOVE LEFT: Lorge terraces provide ample space for gathering and outdoor dining In front of the buildings on the centro/ piazza. Photograph by Stanley Copps ABOVE RIGHT: The fcx;:odes of res/den flo/ and retoN buildings along Piedmont Row ore ortlculoted to read as o series of lndlvlduol buildings, concealing the project's Iorge parking structure. Photograph by Gerln Choiniere FACING PAGE: Gas lanterns adorn the retail foressed by Leading Professionals
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