This report was written on July 30, 1996

1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Ratcliffe- Otterbourg House is located at 2100 Randolph Road in the Crescent Heights neighborhood of Charlotte, near the uptown center of the city of Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

2. Name, address, and telephone number of the present owner of the property: The owner is :

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc.
2100 Randolph Road
Charlotte, North Carolina 28207

(704) 375-6145

3. Representative Photographs of the property: This report contains interior and exterior photographs of the property.

4. Maps depicting the location of the property: This report contains a map depicting the location of the property.

5. Current deed book references to the property: The most recent deed to the Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House is listed Mecklenburg County Deed Book 8023 at Page 171. The Tax Parcel Number of the property is 155-027-18.

6. A brief historical description of the property: This report contains a historical sketch of the property prepared by Sherry J. Joines.

7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description of the property prepared by Sherry J. Joines.

8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets criteria for designation set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-400.5:

a. Special significance in terms of history, architecture, and cultural importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House does possess special significance in terms of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) the Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House was designed by William H. Peeps (1868-1950), an architect of local and regional importance, 2) the Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House is the only Bungalow-style house which survives on Randolph Road, once part of Crescent Avenue and a major thoroughfare in the Crescent Heights neighborhood, 3) the Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House was originally the home of Louis G. Ratcliffe (1893-1961), whose Ratcliffe Florist shop, also designed by Peeps, is one of the most distinctive early 20th-century buildings in uptown Charlotte and who occupied a prominent place in Charlotte’s business life, and 4) the Otterbourg family, owners and occupants of the house for more than 50 years, was representative of the socio-economic stratum that was predominant in the Crescent Heights neighborhood in the early and middle years of the twentieth century.

b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling, and association: The Commission contends that the architectural description by Sherry Joines included in this report demonstrates that the Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House meets this criterion.

9. Ad Valorem Tax Appraisal: The current Ad Valorem appraised value of the .228 acres of land is $179,010. The current Ad Valorem appraised value of the house is $31,770. The total Ad Valorem appraised value is $210,780. The property is zoned O2.

Date of Preparation of this Report: July 30, 1996

Prepared by: Sherry J. Joines and Dr. Dan L. Morrill

The city of Charlotte, North Carolina today is a product of its tremendous growth during the first fifty years of the New South period. The population of Charlotte in 1930 was 11 times greater than it had been in 1880. It is not surprising then, that many new homes in a variety of new suburban developments were built during this era. Until the 1880s, Charlotte’s population had been housed near the center city or on farms in the rural areas surrounding it. The cotton mills near Charlotte flourished, and the city’s businessmen grew wealthy as textile distributors and investors. These new leaders strove to emulate Northern textile cities with newly planned suburbs thriving off of streetcar lines, paved streets, and even skyscrapers. The ring of streetcar suburbs beginning with Dilworth in the 1890s was big business for the numerous land developers in the city.¹ The Crescent Heights neighborhood is an example of an early streetcar suburb in Charlotte. On the east side of the center city, this neighborhood began as two developments: Colonial Heights and Crescent Heights. Colonial Heights, including Colonial Avenue, Chase Street, and Vail Avenue was platted in 1907. The streets of Crescent Heights radiating in concentric semi-circles off Providence Road was Charlotte’s first experiment with curvilinear streets when they were platted in 1907. The centerpiece of both developments was Colonial Park bounded by Circle Avenue.²

The first houses in the neighborhood were built during the mid 1910s near the streetcar line on Vail, Colonial, and Crescent Avenues. Many residents were salesmen, small businessmen, and clerks. These people served the distribution based economy of the city. Although staunchly middle-class, the neighborhood’s residents held many of the same attitudes as the wealthy industrialists. There was great concern about the appearance of Charlotte during its rise to recognition. This explains why there were so many talented architects, designers, and planners at work in such a small city. Louis Asbury, Sr.; Fred Bonfoey; William H. Peeps; and Earle S. Draper were nationally recognized professionals who made Charlotte their home in the early years of the twentieth century.³

Peeps, an Englishman, came to Charlotte from Michigan in the early 1900s. At his death in 1950, he had made numerous architectural contributions to the Charlotte area including: Latta Arcade, Ratcliffe Florist Shop, Ivey’s Department Store, and many prestigious suburban homes.⁴ Louis Ratcliffe began his floral shop in 1917 and returned to his Charlotte business after his infantry service in France during World War I. As Charlotte grew, many service industries, including floristry, thrived.⁵ Following many of his middle-class colleagues, Ratcliffe planned a new home for his family in the Crescent Heights neighborhood. On March 30, 1923, Ratcliffe purchased a lot at the intersection of Crescent Avenue and Chase Street from Mrs. Pattie S. Long, a widow. The Long family had purchased the lot from Elizabeth Realty Company in 1909, but apparently had never built on the property. The lot measuring approximately 60 feet wide and 190 feet deep was to be used for building a dwelling that cost at least $2500 and should be at least 30 feet from Crescent Avenue. As was typical for the early twentieth century South, the deed covenants also stated that the dwelling was not to be occupied by anyone “of the Negro race or with Negro blood.”⁶

Ratcliffe hired the prominent Charlotte architect W.H. Peeps to design his bungalow style dwelling. By February 16, 1925, plans were far enough advanced for Ratcliffe to file a Building Permit with the Building Inspector. At this point, Ratcliffe’s address was 512 East 5th Street, near his shop at 322 South Tryon Street. His new home was to be sheathed in stucco and estimated to cost $6000.⁷ Louis G. Ratcliffe and his wife Hattie resided in their new home at 300 Crescent Avenue from 1926 until 1932. Ratcliffe’s relationship with Peeps did not end with the completion of his home, however. Peeps was commissioned in 1929 to design a new building for Ratcliffe’s Flowers. The unusual building has a Mediterranean flair and still graces South Tryon Street as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmark although it is no longer used as a florist shop.⁸

Louis Ratcliffe sold 300 Crescent Avenue to M.A. Otterbourg on September 1, 1932. Otterbourg was the Chief Signal and Electrical Inspector and later Superintendent for Southern Railways, an important industry in the distribution city of Charlotte. 300 Crescent Avenue held the large Otterbourg family: M.A. and his wife Katie, Marion A. ,Jr. (a son from a previous marriage), Louis, Edna, and Margaret. These three children of M.A. and Katie Otterbourg still reside in Charlotte and remember well their early years in Crescent Heights.⁹ Louis Otterbourg was three or four when the family moved into their new home. He and his younger sisters Edna and Peggy grew up on Crescent Avenue during the late 1930s and 1940s. During a recent interview, the three created a sense of Crescent Heights that is difficult to imagine, knowing the area as it is today. Children rode bicycles up and down the sidewalks in front of rows of bungalows. The park, they recall, was the center of their playtime with neighboring children. At home, they remember taking all but the most formal of meals in the breakfast room off the kitchen. And the bedroom adjacent to the kitchen served as a gathering place where favorite radio shows could be heard.

Their father was often away at work leaving their mother, a homemaker, with the children. The Otterbourgs recall that there were a series African-American domestics who helped their mother in the mornings until the end of World War II and a gardener named Emmett Drenan. They remember summers filled with visiting on porches; the smell of oil throughout the house after it had been spread on dusty Chase Street; Victory gardens; a playhouse in the back; and the family enjoying the piano in the corner of the living room.

The Otterbourg family owned the house after the death of M.A. Otterbourg in 1952 until Katie Otterbourg’s death in the early 1980s. Until that time Edna and Margaret had lived with their mother, and they inherited the house, which they sold to Clyde N. Owensby on August 29, 1980. In 1959-1960 Crescent Road Extension was lengthened to reach the Cotswald section; hence, the house is now know as 2100 Randolph Road. Owensby rented the house to a marriage counselor firm and then to Charlotte Radiology, reflecting the dominance of medical offices in the area. The building was sold to Swisher International in 1995 and used as their office until 1996 when it was purchased by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Preservation Foundation for use as a joint office with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.¹⁰

The original address was 300 Crescent Avenue; however the current address is 2100 Randolph Road. Situated at the corner of Randolph Road and Chase Street, the lot measures approximately 60 feet by 190 feet. The house has a small front yard facing the sidewalk and Randolph Road. A very narrow strip of yard on either side of the house gives access to the larger back yard.

Originally, the two-car garage was located in the middle of the back yard, dividing it into two different areas. Louis, Edna, and Margaret Otterbourg recall that the yard was separated from Chase Street by a tall white rose trellis. The space between the house and the garage was densely landscaped, while the area behind the garage had room for a garden and what seemed to them to be a swimming pool. This pool was most likely a garden feature built by the original owner, Louis Ratcliffe. To the children’s disgust, their father, M.A. Otterbourg filled in the “swimming pool.”¹¹ The landscaping in front of the house was thick enough near the sidewalk for young Louis Otterbourg to be unseen by a bicyclist until he jumped into its path. The Otterbourgs remember the yard filled with Norway maples, pecan trees, chinaberries, and spyrea.¹²

The emphasis on landscaping is not surprising for two reasons. First, the original owner of the house was Louis Ratcliffe, a prominent Charlotte florist. And secondly, the house is in the Bungalow Style. This meant that the house was designed around celebrating and enjoying nature. The most obvious characteristics of a Bungalow dwelling are its low pitched roof, wide front porch, and construction of rough natural materials such as stucco. The result of these features was a sense of coziness and security while blending into the natural surroundings.¹³ The Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House is an excellent example of these principles. The front facade is a simple configuration of the short end of the house with the protruding front entry porch on its left. Rather than a plain gable end, the roof’s peak is hipped. This motif is repeated wherever the roof ends. Decoratively cut rafter ends extend beyond the wide roof overhangs. Like many bungalows, the house is sheathed in stucco, which the Otterbourgs recall as being soft gray in color. The wide window and door trim, flared porch columns, and stickwork elements over the porch’s arched opening were all cream in color.¹⁴ The base of house and porch steps are red brick creating a watertable about two feet high around the house. The one vertical element is the chimney on the left side of the building. The windows are tall, six over six panels, but are generally used in horizontal bands.

The formal front facade is in contrast to the rear of the dwelling which extrudes and is cut back creating several tiny wings depending on the size of the rooms they hold. The back porch is entered up a flight of red brick steps, which are contained by a low brick wall extending off the porch’s watertable. Privatized by lattice work the porch reflects the personal atmosphere that was once present in the back yard. This lattice is all that remains of the lattice that covered the breakfast room windows and ran as a fence along Chase Street. The Bungalow Style was considered a modernization of Victorian era housing standards. Moving away from formality and concentrating on simple efficiency, builders after the turn of the century turned to source books such as Bungalows, Camps, and Mountain Houses (1915) for pre-prepared plans and theoretical planning advice. According to a 1921 plan book writer, the house was to be divided into sleeping quarters, family living space, and service areas. These zones should be linked by neutral spaces such as a hall.¹⁵

In the Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House, these ideas are executed with great care by the architect, W.H. Peeps. From the front porch, one enters into the living room containing a large fireplace. The hefty mantle mimics the wide roof overhang as it extends nearly a foot from the wall. The living room seems to flow into the dining area from which it is separated by French doors. Through a swinging door one can enter the small breakfast nook with its built in buffet and cupboard. To the left is the generous kitchen and the back door to the back porch. The entire south side of the house is taken up with the three bedrooms reached down a long hall. The bath, a closet, the stairs to the basement and to the attic are also located on this service hall. The Otterbourgs remember the interior window trim, baseboards, and doors being a darkly stained wood. The interior trim is now painted white and the only wood flooring that remains uncovered is in the living room. The red brick fireplace is now painted white and many of the plaster walls have been covered with wall paper. But the most significant change was executed by the Charlotte – Mecklenburg Historic Preservation Fund when they removed the walls separating the front two bedrooms and the end of the long hall to create a large boardroom in the front right quarter of the house. With the exception of this space the building retains much of its original cozy character that made it such a wonderful family home for over fifty years.

CLICK HERE FOR A MORE DETAILED S&R

¹ Tom Hanchett, “Overview” (from an unpublished draft in the collection of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission), p.1-4.

² Dr. Dan L. Morrill, “Crescent Heights,” (unpublished essay in the collection of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission), p.1-3.

³ Tom Hanchett, “Growth of Charlotte: a History” (from an unpublished draft in the collection of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission),p. 28 and Dr. Dan L. Morrill, “Crescent Heights,”p.3-4.

⁴ Dr. Dan L. Morrill, “C.C. Coddington House,” (unpublished description in the collection of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission).

⁵ Dr. William H. Huffman, ” A Historical Sketch of the Ratcliffe Flowers Building,”(Survey and Research Report in the collection of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, 1983),pp.1-2.

⁶ Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Office: deed book 241 page 365, deed book 268 page 205,and deed book 492 page 139.

⁷ Building Permit on microfilm (In the collections of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library).

⁸ Huffman, ” A Historical Sketch…”pp.2-3.

⁹ Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Office: deed book 832 page 10. Charlotte City Directories (In the collection of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library. Interview with Louis, Edna, and Margaret Otterbourg on June 17, 1996 with Sherry J. Joines.

¹⁰ Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Office: deed book 4337 page 433 and deed book 8023 page 0171. Charlotte City Directories ( In the collection of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library).

¹¹ Interview with Otterbourg family.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Clark, Clifford E., Jr.,The American Family Home, 1800-1960, (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press,1986),p.173.

¹⁴ Interview with Otterbourg family.

¹⁵ William P. Comstock and Clarence E. Schermerhorn with new introduction by Tony P. Wrenn, Bungalows, Camps, and Mountain Houses, ( Washington: AIA Press, 1990)p.v-21.

1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Ratcliffe Florist Shop is located at 431 South Tryon Street, in Charlotte, North Carolina.  To see a brief biographical video of the Ratcliffe-Otterbourg House go to http://officialcharlottehistory.ning.com and click on “Video” at the top of the page.

2. Name and address of the present owner of the property:

Mrs. L. G. Ratcliffe, Sr.
2128 Sherwood Avenue
Charlotte, N.C. 28207

3. Representative photographs of the property: This report contains representative photographs of the property.

4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report contains a map which depicts the location of the property.

5. Current Deed Book Reference to the property: The most recent deeds to this property are listed in Mecklenburg County Deed Book W20 at page 340. The Tax Parcel Number of the property is 125-052-12.

6. A brief historical sketch of the property: This report contains a brief historical sketch of the property prepared by Dr. William H. Huffman.

7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description of the property prepared by Lisa A. Stamper.

8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-399.4.

a. special significance in terms of its history, architecture, and/or cultural importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Ratcliffe Florist Shop does possess special significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) the Ratcliffe Florist Shop, completed in 1929, is a strikingly well-preserved example of early 20th Century commercial architecture; 2) the architect of the Ratcliffe Florist Shop was William H. Peeps (1868-1950), an architect of local and regional significance; 3) the Ratcliffe Florist Shop is the best example of the Mediterranean Revival Style of architecture in Charlotte, North Carolina; 4) Louis G. Ratcliffe (1893-1961), the founder of the company, was a prominent figure in community affairs; and 5) the Ratcliffe family continues to operate the business from this location.

b. integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling and/or association: The Commission contends that the attached architectural description by Miss Lisa A. Stamper demonstrates that the Ratcliffe Florist Shop meet this criterion.

9. Ad Valorem Tax Appraisal: The Commission is aware that designation would allow the owner to apply for an automatic deferral of 50% of the Ad Valorem taxes on all or any portion of the property which becomes “historic property.” The current appraised value of the .072 acres of land is $47,250. The current appraised value of the building is $51,730. The total current appraised value is $98,980. The property is zoned UMUD.

Date of Preparation of this Report:April 4, 1984

Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill, Director
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission
1225 S. Caldwell Street/Box D
Charlotte, North Carolina 28203

Telephone: 704/376-9115

Dr. William H. Huffman
March, 1983

Perhaps the most charming and out-of-the-ordinary small business place in the commercial center of Charlotte is that occupied by Ratcliffe Flowers on South Tryon Street. For over fifty years, it has stood in great contrast to its plainer or more institutional neighbors. When Louis G. Ratcliffe (1893-1961) started his floral business next to the Latta Arcade in the 300 block of S. Tryon in 1917, the area was still a mixture of small businesses, residences and some vacant properties.¹ A native of Henrico County, Virginia, he entered the service a year after starting the new business and saw action with the 323rd Infantry in France during World War I, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. After demobilization at the close of the war, Mr. Ratcliffe returned to Charlotte and enthusiastically plunged into over fifty years of activity in the city’s business and civic life. He served variously as a National Committeeman of the American Legion, Mecklenburg County Democratic Chairman, Chairman of the Welfare Board, President of the Charlotte Chapter of the American Red Cross, and as director of Home Federal Building and Loan. In addition, he was a member of the Rotary Club, a Mason, a Shriner and a steward of his church. Clearly Louis Ratcliffe was a man greatly involved with his community.²

As the community grew and prospered in the boom times of the 1920’s, so did the floral concern which supplied flowers for weddings, funerals, church services and special occasions in the expanding city. By the end of the decade, Ratcliffe decided the time was right for new quarters to house the successful business, and so he hired William H. Peeps, a local architect, to draw up the plans. Perhaps Peeps was chosen for the job because he had also done the Latta Arcade, Ratcliffe’s business neighbor for twelve years. ³ William Peeps (1868-1950) was originally from London, England, and had first settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From there he came to Charlotte in 1905 to participate in the growth of this New South community, and for forty-five years thereafter made a significant impact on the architectural history of the city. In his long Charlotte career, which only ended when he fell ill at the age of 82, Peeps was responsible for numerous landmark structures in the city and in other areas of the state.⁴ Beside Ratcliffe Flowers, he designed a number of important commercial buildings in the city, including Ivey’s Department Store, Eckerd’s Drugs, the Latta and Court Arcades, and the Hovis Mortuary (now Queen City TV) on North Tryon. Of equal significance are the many fine large residences Peeps designed for a number of the city’s wealthy citizens, including that of J. B. Ivey, John Bass Brown, George W. Graham, Jr.⁵ and others. In early 1929, the plans for the new florist shop were complete, and on March 20th of that year, the contractor, Southeastern Construction Company, located at 210 E. Second Street, took out a building permit to begin work. In the permit it was estimated that the new store would cost $16,000.⁶ At the time when Ratcliffe Flowers was built, Charlotte was experiencing an unprecedented building boom which reflected the prosperity of the time. A perusal of the building permits of that year clearly reflects great activity in both business and residential, mostly suburban, construction. It was as part of this general prosperity that the new Ratcliffe Flowers shop came on the scene late in 1929.

Unfortunately for many in the community, the boom times ended soon thereafter, and a ten-year depression followed. Ratcliffe Flowers, however, steadfastly weathered the storm in its charming, Peeps-designed two-story store. Over the years, in fact, the business, which is still in the family, expanded into a wholesale division and a greenhouse operation in addition to the city center retail outlet.⁷ Thus through all the changes in uptown Charlotte over the last fifty-some years, this delightfully unusual retail store, which reflected both the tastefulness appropriate for a floral shop and a confidence in its longevity, has graced South Tryon Street through the best and worst of times, and will no doubt continue to do so for a long time.

NOTES

¹ Interview with Margaret Osborne, Charlotte, N.C., March 1983; Charlotte City Directory, 1917, passim.

² Charlotte Observer, February 16, 1961, pp. 1C and 9D.

³ Charlotte Building Permit No. 9899, 20 March 1929. Ratcliffe purchased the property in 1927: Deed Book 675, p.43, 19 August 1927.

⁴ Charlotte Observer, September 11, 1950, p.lB.

⁵ >George W. Hamilton, ed., William H. Peeps, A.I.A., Architect (Charlotte: News Publishing House, 1928).

⁶ See note 3.

⁷ Interview with Margaret Osborne, above.

by
Lisa A. Stamper

“Ratcliffe’s Flowers Brighten The Hours” – original slogan

Located on South Tryon Street between First and Second Streets, Ratcliffe’s Flowers is a well preserved example of the Mediterranean Revival Style. Designed by the architect William Peeps, this two-story building was completed near the end of 1929. Built at a time when new business development was at its peak in central Charlotte, this florist shop is very possibly the city’s finest example of early twentieth-century commercial architecture.

More than one-half of the front of the Ratcliffe’s Flowers building is two-stories high, while the back of it is one-story high. The tar and gravel roof is flat on both sections, and the back part contains a gabled skylight. To capture the mood of the Mediterranean, Peeps used a variety of materials and forms in the design of the front facade. The brick is stuccoed, and a decorative wooden gable was placed at the roofline. This gable, which spans the whole width of the facade, has deep sections to hide the flood lights which brighten the front facade at night. A second-story balcony is decorated with a cast-iron balustrade and brackets. Even a few rows of glazed tile separate the front facade from the sidewalk. The neon sign is not original, but was installed shortly after the florist shop opened for business. The deeply recessed first-story storefront consists of two wood and glass doors flanking a protruding wooden framed display window. The plan of the display window is one-half of an octagon shape. It has its own high-pitched roof which is basically semi-circular in shape. The name of the shop is displayed in white letters on the front of the display window roof. Above these doors and display window are five panes of floral patterned glass framed by wood. The second-story of the front facade exhibits three round-arched openings with the middle one being slightly taller in Palladian fashion. These wooden framed openings serve to look like windows and function as doors. Each opening has a half-circle section above a large rectangular section. Each half-circle contains four vertical lights. The rectangular section of each outer opening contains sixteen lights while the inner one contains twenty lights. Four stylized columns with Corinthian capitals separate the second-story openings from each other and the rest of the facade. The shafts of these columns have a spiral groove cut into them; a Mediterranean motif.

The interior reflects the exterior style, employing several exterior elements and motifs. The interior plan consists of a second-story half-attic, a high first-story, and a rear half-basement. Interior finishes include plaster walls, chestnut wood trims, and flagstone floors. Many of the furnishings are original and are kept in excellent condition. The first-story interior has two-levels. The lower one is the full length of the building and is composed of three sections. The upper-level covers the second section only and is used as an office. The first section is the showroom and is defined by the front wall and an interior wall with three round arched openings. It has a barrel-vault ceiling which invokes a grand spacious feeling in the narrow room. The second section is a small work area defined by the arched interior wall and another interior wall with a heavy, arched double door. The third section is contained within the rear of the building and is also used as a work area.

The showroom has a flagstone floor, possibly made with stone from Arizona. Over the years, wax had built-up on the floor, but it has been recently cleaned leaving the original stones in good condition. Six chestnut columns of the molding with quatrefoil motifs add to the ornamentation. A chestnut trellis is an original display device which is still in use. Track lighting has recently been installed on this trellis to illuminate displays on the wall behind it; however, this lighting system is inconspicuous. Original glass and iron furnishings, even a marble top table, are in excellent condition and presently display various floral arrangements. Decorative urns, one from India, are also original furnishings still in use. Even original light fixtures are intact. The arched interior wall which defines the back of the showroom contains three large, high, round-arched openings, reflecting those of the front facade. As one enters the showroom from the front, the left arch is practically the full-height of the wall. It contains a wooden staircase which leads to a second-level landing. The other two arched openings stop at the bottom of the second-level. These openings have been covered with plywood boards, but the arched shapes are still prominent. An iron railing positioned in front of these two arched openings has been temporarily removed to make room for a Christmas display.

Underneath the second-level arched openings is a large rectangular opening. Simple, thick columns support a dentiled lintel at the top of this opening. A cabinet located next to the wall now blocks part of this opening, which allows one to enter the small workroom underneath the second-level office. The small workroom contains very little. It has only a few shelves and thin workbenches for employee use. Since the public can see into this area, it is not used extensively and is more of a transitional space between the showroom and the rear work area. A wooden double-door opens into the back work area. Here most of the preparation of floral arrangements takes place. Since this back room is not in the public’s view, it is more utilitarian in finishes and furnishings. Again, many of the original fixtures and furnishings are still in use and in good condition. Even the first cooler is intact. A wooden staircase, which leads to the second-level landing, mirrors that from the showroom. It seems that accessibility to the total building was a main consideration in the initial design of the second-level office. It was designed so one could look through the arched openings into the showroom or out the open back into the work area. The office is easily accessible to the showroom and workroom by the stairways. In addition, there is a wooden staircase which leads from the landing to the attic. By examination of photographs made shortly after the store opened and in possession of Mark V. Ratcliffe, the interior seem to have had only a few alterations since then. The Ratcliffe’s have gone to great lengths to preserve and maintain their florist shop’s elegant romantic ambiance. Presently, many people come into the store to marvel at the excellent workmanship and care put into Ratcliffe’s Flowers.

Ranson House Survey and Research Report

This report was written on April 5, 1983

1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Query-Spivey-McGee Building is located at the corner of College and Stonewall Streets in Charlotte, North Carolina.

2. Name, address, and telephone number of the present owner and occupant of the property: The present owner of the property is:

Mr. and Mrs. Maurice H. Wilson, Jr.
3929 Kitley Place
Charlotte, North Carolina 28210

Telephone: (704) 552-1268

3. Representative photographs of the property: This report contains representative photographs of the property.

4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report contains a map which depicts the location of the property.

5. Current Deed Book Reference to the property: The most recent deed to this property is listed in Mecklenburg County Deed Book 4037 at page 115. The Tax Parcel Number of the property is: 125-121-01.

6. A brief historical sketch of the property: This report contains a brief historical sketch of the property prepared by Dr. William H. Huffman.

7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description of the property prepared by Thomas W. Hanchett.

8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-399.4:

a. Special significance in terms of its history, architecture, and/or cultural importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Query-Spivey-McGee Building does possess special significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) the building, constructed in three stages between 1902 and 1914, is the only remnant of a substantial commercial district which existed on South College Street at the turn of the century; 2) the building represents a type of brick and beam commercial architecture which was once common in Charlotte but is now rare; 3) the building has served as a hardware and feed store for many years; 4) the building is substantially unchanged from its early appearance.

b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling and/or association: The Commission contends that the attached architectural description by Mr. Thomas W. Hanchett demonstrates that the Query-Spivey-McGee Building meets this criterion.

9. Ad Valorem Tax Appraisal: The Commission is aware that designation would allow the owner to apply for an automatic deferral of 50% of the Ad Valorem taxes on all or any portion of the property which becomes “historic property.” The current appraised value of the .506 acres of land is $154, 350. The current appraised value of the building is $51,430. The total current appraised value is $205,780. The property is zoned B3.

Date of Preparation of this Report: April 5, 1983

Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill, Director
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission
218 North Tryon Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

Telephone: (704) 376-9115

Dr. William H. Huffman

The Query, Spivey and McGee Company building at the corner of College and Stonewall Streets in Charlotte has played an interesting, and changing, role in the industrial and commercial life of Charlotte. Since its origins in the early twentieth-century, it has seen some great changes in its surroundings while retaining much of its own early character. At the turn of the century, South College Street ended at Stonewall, and East Stonewall only extended one block from South Tryon Street to College, ending at the large rock quarry. Tryon and its immediate side streets, including Stonewall, were mostly residences, some quite large. At the corners of Tryon and Stonewall were St. Mary’s Seminary on the northeast and a fine house on the southeast, owned by Christian Valaer. Just behind Mr. Valaer’s home was the Porter Brewing Company, and next along Stonewall at the end of the block was the Allen and Hunter Planing Mill.¹ William H. Allen (1870-1964) had bought the property, which measured about 145 feet on Stonewall and went back to the old A.T.& O.R.R. (Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio, later Southern) tracks, from Cornelius McNelis (1847-1930), a native of Ireland who was in the real estate business in the city. Mr. Allen’s partner, Joseph Nick Hunter (1859-1945) was involved in a number of businesses in the city, including groceries and a onetime partnership in the Tidal Wave Saloon at 16 North Tryon. Hunter, who had bought the land from Allen in 1900, sold the property to Charles A. Black (1860-1950) in 1902.

It was during Mr. Black’s ownership that the location was changed to a different use to meet another need of the early twentieth-century community: he built a wood-frame livery stable which encompassed the area of the present Faison Building at 122 E. Stonewall and about one-fourth of the Query, Spivey and McGee building.⁴ Apparently drayage was a profitable business in the growing community, since less than three years after starting with livery at the location, Charles Black sold off sixty-five feet of his Stonewall property (the present Faison location)⁵ and built a new brick livery stable running the entire length and width of the remaining land.⁶ It is not clear whether the original building was one or two stories, but on August 22, 1905, the Charlotte News announced that “Mr. C. A. Black has moved his stable into his handsome new brick building on Stonewall Street. The new stable was erected at a cost of about $3,500.”⁷ That year, Black ran this advertisement in the papers every day: “WANT A DRAY? I have all kinds of wagons for doing all kinds of light or heavy drayage and give careful personal attention to all orders. I make a specialty of moving and packing household goods. Phone 105, C. A. Black, Corner Stonewall and College ⁸, Streets and Southern Railway.”

Although he continued his business in the brick building for eight years, in 1908 Black sold the property to some investors, presumably to raise money for his operation.⁹ One of the investors who bought the land the following year was Dr. Robert L. Gibbon (1866-1953), whose practice was located at 7 West Trade Street, just off the square.¹⁰ It appears that about this time there was a fire which destroyed the southern one-third of the building, and, in 1909, Black bought the property back for 40% less than he sold it for just a year before.¹¹ He continued to operate a transfer company and stables there until 1913, when the land and building were sold to the Charlotte Builders Supply Company.¹² Charlotte Builders Supply, headed by J. P. Hackney and managed by Willis Brown, operated at 228-230 South College, four blocks to the north. It is not known whether the company intended to use the building for its own business, but it appears that in 1913-14 it rebuilt the southern part of the structure and probably added a third story at that time.¹³ In September, 1914, the enlarged building was sold to the Fidelity Bonded Warehouse Company, which was an investment concern of local businessmen, including Judge J. A. Russell (1859-1949) and Walter Davidson (1872-1945).¹⁴ When the changeover to a warehouse took place, Charles Black moved his transfer company to 500 South Cedar Street, and also operated the Black Coal Company.¹⁵ From 1924 to 1936, he moved to Waynesville to operate an apple orchard, following which he retired and returned to Charlotte. Black spent the remainder of his years and died at another historic property in Charlotte: the home of his daughter, Frances Moody Black (Mrs. Jake) Newell (1884-1966) at 819 Sunnyside Avenue.¹⁶

In 1918, ownership of the Query, Spivey and McGee building passed by deed to Walter L. Nicholson, who, doing business as the Southern Bonded Storage Company, operated a warehouse in the building for sixteen years.¹⁷ During that time, a variety of users shared the premises with Southern, including People’s Loan and Realty (1920), B. T. Crump Company Truck Bodies (1924), Piggly Wiggly Markets (1926-28), White Transfer (1928-31), and Wilson Motor Company (1923-25).¹⁸ The large elevator in the center of the building was particularly suited for storing automobiles on any level, as it probably had been for drays.

The economic calamities which accompanied the Great Depression of the Thirties unfortunately caught Mr. Nicholson in their grim net, and he lost the site by foreclosure in 1934.¹⁹ About the same time Southern Bonded Storage went out of business, a new tenant took up residence in the middle section of the building: Scott Feed Company, a business recently bought out by Luke W. Query (1882-1951), who had previously operated Carolina Hardware. The following year, Charlotte Feed and Gin Company opened in the northernmost College and Stonewall section of the building (600 S. College), headed by Everett B. Solomon. For a time (1936-8), an auto repair shop, the Stonewall Service Company, operated at the southernmost end of the site.²¹

In 1940, after a series of owner/investors, the building was taken over by Arthur W. Pearson (1890-1976) and his brother Nathan A. Pearson (1910-1980), who established the Queen City Mattress and Upholstery Company there. Query, whose business now went under the name of the Query Feed Company, moved to a building one block to the south at 700 S. College.²² In order to accommodate their manufacturing enterprise, the Pearsons did some renovation work to their new location.²³

Four years later, in October, 1944, when victory in the European theater of World War II seemed assured, Luke Query and a new partner, James L. Spivey, purchased the building from Arthur Pearson.²⁴ A new concern, the Query, Spivey and McGee Company was formed to deal in seed and hardware, with Luke Query, president, James Spivey, vice-president and John McGee, who also had hardware experience, secretary-treasurer.²⁵ In 1946, Query and Spivey transferred ownership from themselves as individuals to their own corporation, the Stonewall Company, where it remained until 1978, when the present owners, Maurice H. Wilson, Jr., and Marilyn C. Wilson bought the concern.²⁶ After Luke Query’s death in 1951, James Spivey became head of the company, and he was in turn bought out by John McGee about 1956.²⁷

What can be seen as significant about the building at Stonewall and College is not only its continuous use since just after the turn of the century, but the variety of businesses there which reflected the growing community and the changes of neighborhood in which business was conducted. In the beginning, Charles Black operated a livery stable at the very edge of the business part of town; directly to the east of him was a residence with a cow barn and a shed for farm implements behind it. Just beyond that was the city rock quarry, and College Street dead-ended at Stonewall. In the Twenties, when mass-production of automobiles, pioneered by Henry Ford, made them accessible to a wider public, cars were parked where buggies used to be. About the same time, the rock quarry was transformed to a large rail yard for the Southern Railway. Also, as Charlotte grew with its corresponding need for business space, the residential character of the area gave way to an increasing number of manufacturing and service industries. For a time the Piggly-Wiggly Markets used part of the building to accommodate its store at 500 S. Tryon, for example. But since the mid-1930s, the corner location has been (except for four years when Queen City Mattress and Upholstery was there) used primarily as a feed, seed and hardware store, and it is with that business and Query, Spivey and McGee that it is most closely identified. Even though times and indeed the neighborhood have changed considerably (the Southern rail yard is now office buildings, for example), to step into the Query, Spivey and McGee building is to travel back at least fifty years to an old-fashioned store, and without much effort; it almost seems there is a smell of hay, horses and leather in the air.

NOTES

¹ Sanborn Insurance map of Charlotte, 1900, p.l8.

² Deed Book 127, p.57, 8 June 1898; Charlotte City Directory, 1902, p.361;Certificate of Death, Book 37, p.642.

³ Charlotte City Directory, 1902, p.429; Charlotte News, March 28, 1945, p.7A; Deed Book 140, p.542, 4 January 1900; Deed Book 170, p.434, 29 September 1902.

⁴ Sanborn Insurance Map of Charlotte, 1905, p.23.

⁵ Deed Book 200, p.271, 14 June 1905.

⁶ Sanborn Insurance Map of Charlotte, 1911, p.15.

⁷ Charlotte News, August 22, 1905, p.5.

⁸ Ibid.

⁹ Deed Book 228, p.690, 23 March 1908.

¹⁰ Charlotte City Directory, 1910, p.230.

¹¹ Sanborn Map of 1911, p.15; Deed Book 246, p.413, 22 May 1909.

¹² Deed Book 314, p.336, 30 May 1913.

¹³ Deed Book 325, p.625, 23 September 1914.

¹⁴ Ibid.; Record of Corporations, Book 4, p.209; Register of Death No. 61, January, 1949; Register of Death No. 771, August, 1945.

¹⁵ Charlotte City Directory, 1914, p.584.

¹⁶ Charlotte News, November 30, 1950, p.10B.

¹⁷ Deed Book 383, p.507, 1 February 1918; Charlotte City Directories, 1918-1934.

¹⁸ Charlotte City Directories, 1918-1934.

¹⁹ Deed Book 802, p.116, 9 May 1931; Foreclosure 15 January 1934.

²⁰ Charlotte City Directory, 1934, p.445; Charlotte News, June 6, 1951, p.lB.

²¹ Charlotte City Directories, 1934-1940.

²² Deed Book 1022, p.69, 30 August 1940; Charlotte City Directory, 1941, p.829.

²³ Interview with J. P. Probst, Charlotte, N.C., 7 February 1983.

²⁴ Deed Book 1131, p.227, 30 October 1944.

²⁵ Charlotte City Directory, 1948-49, pp. 487 and 595.

²⁶ Deed Book 1212, p.218, 21 September 1946; Deed Book 4037, p.115, 1 March 1978.

²⁷ Interview with John McGee, Charlotte, N.C. 7 February 1983.

Thomas Hanchett

The Query, Spivey and McGee Building is a very simple three-story warehouse building with brick walls and a wooden frame. Historical research shows that it was constructed in three stages between 1902 and 1914. It appears to have changed very little since it was finished. The oldest part of the structure was a two-story rectangular block at the corner of Stonewall and College streets. In 1913-14 this was increased to the present three stories. At the same time, a three-story trapezoidal wing was added next to the original unit on the College Street side. Its angled rear wall conformed to the railroad track, now taken up, that curved next to the structure. The additions were built to match the exterior of the main building, and today one cannot tell from the street that the Query, Spivey and McGee Building is made up of three different “builds.”

Walls are of brick laid alternating five stretcher courses with a single header course. They extend up above the roof line to form a parapet capped by terracotta tile. Inside the building a brick wall divides the old and new wings. All exterior brick and most of the interior brick has been painted. Windows are twelve pane steel frame units, with a center panel that swings out for ventilation. These window units are decades old, but likely are not original. The framing system of the building is almost all wood. Wooden columns approximately one foot square are set at intervals of approximately fifteen feet. A few on the first floor have been replaced with pipe columns, the only metal in the framing. Each column is topped by a rude “capital,” simply a chunk of 12″ x 18″ beam used to distribute the load of the main beam that rests on it. Main beams are 12″ square wood and they carry 2″ x 12″ joists. The first floor is poured concrete while the upper floors are of heavy planking. The structural system is identical in the old and new wings, except that the beams run parallel to College Street in the old wing and parallel to Stonewall in the new one. The floors are largely open space, partitioned off into an office here or a bathroom there as needed. The ground floor is used as retail area and storage for the hardware store. The second story is workspace for Browder Displays and the third floor is their storage area. Each floor has bathroom facilities added after the building was completed.

The single stairway is on the College Street side of the original wing, with its own door on the street. There is also a massive freight elevator, still in use, with wooden slat gates at each floor. It is long and narrow, big enough for a pair of wagons end to end, or the largest 1920s car or truck.

The third floor structural system is slightly different in that the columns do not support horizontal beams, but rather pairs of sloping beams that form the gently pitched roof. There is no attic and all roof framing is exposed. There are three clerestories on the ridgeline which give this floor a great deal of natural light.

lorimer