April 29, 2019
Dan Morrill, HLC Consulting Director, recently sat down with Murray Whisnant, architect for the Cohen-Fumero House, located at 1154 Cedarwood Lane, Charlotte, N.C. In the video below, Mr. Whisnant discusses his background as an architect and details the significance of the Cohen-Fumero House.
April 15, 2019
Billy Maddalon, former owner of the VanLandingham Estate, recently wrote an article in The Charlotte Observer, describing steps Charlotte and Mecklenburg County should take to protect historic buildings. HLC Consulting Director, Dan Morrill, and HLC Senior Preservation Planner, Stewart Gray, provided background for the article.
VanLandingham Estate
The full article can be found below:
March 15, 2019
The Charlotte Business Journal recently published an article on the VanLandingham Estate, which is a designated historic landmark: “Future of VanLandingham Estate unclear as historic property changes hands”
VanLandingham Estate
From the article:
“The VanLandingham Estate, at 2010 The Plaza, has been acquired by a joint venture that includes Charlotte real estate investment firms Stono River Partners and Ascent Real Estate Capital, which purchased about 2.8 acres of the full 5-acre site for about $1.5 million, according to Mecklenburg County real estate records. The 7,088-square-foot home, built in 1913, is included in the transaction.” “It’s not certain what will become of the estate under the new ownership, but Stono River and Ascent have hired Cluck Design to consult on architecture and design as well as engineer ColeJenest & Stone. Jon Dixon, managing principal at Ascent, declined to discuss any specifics when reached this week, including whether the house would be preserved.” “Our company is excited to take ownership of the VanLandingham Estate, an important asset for both the neighborhood and the entire Charlotte region,” Jon Dixon said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Cluck Design and ColeJenest & Stone to implement a plan that builds upon the history of the property while also providing for its successful stewardship in the years to come.” “Ascent’s previous and current investments here include a number of adaptive-reuse deals — among them, The Shop in the North End, Northside Station and The Foundry in uptown, 200 Southside near South End, and Central Crossing in Plaza Midwood.”
March 15, 2019
Greg Pappanastos, President of Argos Real Estate Advisors, has an exciting update on the status of Streetcar 85:
“I’m very excited to report that, for the first time in 5 years, Car 85, Charlotte’s last remaining original streetcar, operated under her own power again yesterday. Here’s a photo of her with the interior lights on and a quick video showing the car moving down the rail.
Streetcar 85
This marks a big moment for Lakewood Trolley, the Historic Landmarks Commission and the neighborhoods of Historic West End, but it is only the beginning.
We’ll await the final report from GOMACO, but overall the operating systems of the car are in good condition. Next stop…Stewart Creek, Cedar Street and Bank of America Stadium!
Big thanks to CarolinaCAT for loaning us the generator, Lee Underwood for his expertise and testing oversight, Nate Wells and Belmont Trolley for use of their rectifier, NCDOT for the sticks of rail, Jay Donaldson from Griffin Brothers, John Tarr from GOMACO and L.S. Williams electricians for all of their work in getting the electrical and track sorted for this test. This was truly a group effort.
Last, but not least, we need to thank Chris Allen, who left this earth early but not before putting us in position to complete this test yesterday. Chris provided countless volunteer hours in restoring the car, caring for the car and seeing to it that we had what we needed to keep the dream of operating Car 85 alive. He was sorely missed yesterday, but I’m certain he was looking down on us and toasting our success. Congratulations Lakewood Trolley!”
February 20, 2019
The article “Are some preservation tools just out of sight?” from the LandUseMatters blog “provides an update on the Shaw House (2400 Mecklenburg Avenue). It’s also about how neighborhood associations may have preservation tools at their disposal that are not being utilized.”
Victor Shaw House