Here's a brief bit of history about PM:
Plaza-Midwood neighborhood is comprised of some of Charlotte's streetcar suburbs. In 1914, Paul Chatham began development of a residential area similar to E.D. Latta's Dilworth, the original streetcar development. Named Chatham Estates, large lots for spacious houses were provided along what is now The Plaza boulevard for streetcar and automobile service. Later developments would be added, such as Midwood. The area also included a commercial strip down Central Avenue once considered the "Miracle Mile" of Charlotte shopping destinations.
However, post-WWII residential and commercial development emphasized new, modern amenities and transportation focused on the automobile. Like many older urban neighborhoods, Midwood and its surrounding areas steadily deteriorated until the 1970s, when concerned citizens came together to revitalize their diverse, historic area. Rebranding the neighborhood as Plaza-Midwood, they worked to improve city services and bring new business as well as aid older and less-fortunate neighbors in maintaining their property.
Today, Plaza-Midwood is one of the more desirable and diverse neighborhoods in Charlotte.
Links:
Plaza-Midwood Neighborhood Association
Plaza-Midwood neighborhood survey by Tom Hanchett
Walking tour of the neighborhood
Map of Plaza-Midwood National Historic District
Local Landmarks in Plaza-Midwood:
Bishop John C. Kilgo House (1914)
Newcombe-McElwee House (1935)
Victor Shaw House (ca. 1928)
Van Landingham Estate (1914)
Victoria (1895)
First of all, thanks for making my day with the name of your blog. So original and so very you. :D
ReplyDeleteBut seriously. Thanks for posting this info about Plaza-Midwood. I'm glad you did because it's brief and alerts me to some possible things we could do with this topic. Great links, too! I will be coming back to this as time goes on!
That being said, we'll have to do some serious narrowing so that all of our artifacts, etc. will go together.
That is all for now. :)
I think I'd be more interested in the homes than the businesses myself. There is something really touching about a neighborhood that gets together to make it better and preserve their history. Think we should look at the people themselves in addition to the landmarks?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Sean! I can think of four ways (how convenient!) that we can focus on PM:
ReplyDelete- residential
- commercial (businesses)
- civic (schools, libraries, and other municipal services)
- transit (end of streetcar, impact of the construction of Independence Blvd. and other proposed roads, and the reintroduction of the streetcar in the next few years)