Historic Districts

The March 8, 2023 HDC meeting was recessed to Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. to hear the remaining cases on the March 8, 2023 agenda (cases 13-16 & 18-19). The March 29, 2023 meeting will be held as an in-person meeting in CMGC room 267 with a WebEx option for public participation. The final agenda is available: HDC March 8, 2023 Agenda.

The HDC will vote on HDC Design Standards updates such as the UDO alignment and the addition of information on McCrorey Heights at the March 29 meeting. Meeting participation is through the same process listed below.

The public is welcome to attend and submit comments. If you wish to submit written comments or evidence to the commission, please submit all items to HDC staff no later than 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. 

If you wish to participate in the meeting via WebEx, contact Cindy Kochanek at cynthia.kochanek@charlottenc.gov with your name, email address, phone number and agenda item of interest no later than 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Once registered, a city staff person will reach out with information about participating in the virtual meeting. 

If you wish to access the meeting as an observer only, the meeting will be streamed live on the CLT Planning YouTube page or can be accessed via telephone in listen-only mode. Call-in information will be provided here by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the meeting. Technical support will not be provided once the HDC meeting has started.

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HDC application fees changed on July 1, 2022. Staff will notify applicants via email of the required fee amount due. Payment of fees cannot be accepted before that time. Currently, electronic fee payments are not accepted for HDC projects. For more information, please see HDC Application Instructions on the Application for Certificate of Appropriateness page.

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All existing deadlines are still in effect. The next HDC application & final plans deadline for full commission review is April 5, 2023.

Due to an increased case volume, there is a few months wait for the review of full commission applications. Applications are added to agendas in the order they are received and HDC staff will keep applicants updated as to when their full commission applications will be heard.

Eight of Charlotte's significant older neighborhoods have been designated by City Council as Local Historic Districts, in recognition of their importance in the history and character of the city. The twelve member Historic District Commission (HDC) and its staff work with property owners and businesses in the districts to assure that development and renovation occurs in a manner that is consistent with the character of the neighborhood.  Any changes made to the exterior of a property in a historic district requires review by the HDC or its staff. The HDC Design Standards provide guidance on the types of projects and materials that are permitted and if they require review by staff or the commission. New Charlotte Historic District Design Standards were adopted on December 8, 2021. Cases submitted on or after December 8, 2021 are subject to the new HDC Design Standards linked in the image below. Cases submitted prior to that date are considered under the previous HDC Design Standards.

HDC Design Standards Cover

HDC Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)

A Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) must be obtained prior to work commencing on the exterior of a resource within a local historic district.  A COA is a document issued by the Historic District Commission (HDC), that indicates the Commission has approved of the proposed work on a resource or property within a local historic district. For more information on the HDC COA process, pre-submittal meetings, deadlines and to apply for a HDC COA, please see the Application for Certificate of Appropriateness page.

Need to report work done without a COA? Please report it HDC Potential Violation Form.

Meetings

2nd Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. (except where a City holiday requires a change in date).  Please consult the meeting schedule for details.

Location

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center

location 600 E. Fourth St.
Charlotte, NC 28202

See the specific HDC meeting agenda for room location.

Charlotte Historic District Interactive Map

The Charlotte Historic District map is an interactive program that allows users to view descriptions of applications for Certificates of Appropriateness which are highlighted on the District maps in bold color. You can search by street address, parcel ID, application number or by clicking on the parcel. If there are multiple projects per parcel, you will be able to advance through each description by clicking on the arrow at the top right of the pop-up box. If you need further assistance there is a help icon on the application.

Static Image of Map for HDC Review Cases

Local District Information

(Designated 1983, 1992) 
Map of Dilworth's Historic District

Since its inception in the 1890s, Dilworth has been one of Charlotte's most distinct neighborhoods. Developed as the city's first suburb, Dilworth was connected to downtown by Charlotte's first electric streetcar. The success of the initial development of Dilworth led its creator, Edward Dilworth Latta, to expand the neighborhood in the 1910s, under a plan by the Olmstead Brothers, then the nation's preeminent landscape designers. Although their plan was never fully implemented, the Olmstead's curved roads and dramatic landscaping set the tone for much of Charlotte's future character. A sampling of almost every architectural style extending from the Victorian era to present day can be found in Dilworth. In 1987, Dilworth was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

​(Designated 1976)
Map of Fourth Ward's Historic District
In the 1850s, Fourth Ward was a prosperous residential area, convenient to downtown businesses and shops. As residential development shifted to the suburbs with the opening of Dilworth in the late 19th century, all of Charlotte's original residential wards would see an eventual decline. By the 1970s, many of Fourth Ward's Victorian homes had been demolished or converted to boarding houses and offices. Through the combined efforts of civic and community leaders, Fourth Ward underwent a dramatic revitalization in the 1970s. The district houses a large concentration of Victorian era and post-modern structures.

(Designated 2006)
Map of Hermitage Court's Historic District
In 1911, a new suburban development was announced to be built on the southern edge of Charlotte carved out of a cotton farm long owned by the Myers family. This new subdivision became Myers Park. Hermitage Court is one small area within the larger Myers Park neighborhood. Developed by Charlotte builder F. M. Simmons, who was responsible for the stone gateways that flank each end of this section of Hermitage Court, the homes along this street include some of the oldest in the neighborhood. The architecture of Hermitage Court is an eclectic mix of Bungalow style houses interspersed with examples of several of the revival styles that were popular in the early 20th century. Almost a century later, an overwhelming majority of the houses retain their original architectural character. In 1987, Hermitage Court was included as part of the larger Myers Park listing in National Register of Historic Places.

(Designated 2022)

Map of McCrorey Heights' Historic District

McCrorey Heights was founded in 1912 specifically for African Americans by H.L. McCrorey, then the president of Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). McCrorey Heights is located to the north of JCSU and to the south Oaklawn Park. The streets of McCrorey Heights are laid out in a grid pattern with many of the same features and details of a mid-century neighborhood including often attached carports or garages and concrete driveways and walkways poured as part of the original construction. The main house types found throughout McCrorey Heights were those popular in the mid-20th century including the American Small House, the Ranch, and the Split-Level. While much of the neighborhood looks as it did in the middle of the 20th century, a portion of the neighborhood was removed for the construction of the Brookshire Freeway.

(Designated 2020)
Map of Oaklawn Park's Historic District
Oaklawn Park is a mid-20th century neighborhood that was developed by Charles Ervin for the African American community from 1955 to 1961. Oaklawn Park streets are laid out to follow the topography of the land instead of a strict grid.  Most of the neighborhood consists of brick ranch houses with some split-level houses and cottages interspersed. While most of the houses in Oaklawn Park are similar in design, size, form and siting, each house features something that makes it unique.  The automobile was common at the time of Oaklawn Park's development thus carports or garages were often built at or around the same time as the houses. Concrete driveways were part of the original construction and walkways typically connect the front door to the driveway, instead of the front door to the sidewalk.

(Designated 1992)
Map of Plaza Midwood's Historic District
Developed in the 1910s and 1920s, Plaza Midwood is the product of several different developments undertaken by various interests. These early small neighborhoods grew together over the years to become today's Plaza Midwood. Fluctuating economic conditions during the area's growth and the differing visions of the many developers involved came together to create the most eclectic of Charlotte's Local Historic Districts. Architecture in this district ranges from the Victorian era to the mid-20th century. The Plaza Midwood Local Historic District came about as a result of efforts of neighborhood residents.

(Designated 1994) 
Map of Wesley Heights' Historic District

Charlotte's first Local Historic District located on the west side of the city, Wesley Heights, retains an amazing degree of its original character. The neighborhood was developed primarily in the 1920s and involved some of the same interests responsible for the creation of the Elizabeth National Register Historic District. Wesley Heights has survived some dramatic changes in its history, and yet still appears much like it did when it was served by Charlotte's streetcar system with its Bungalow style homes and tree-canopied streets. The coordinated efforts of Wesley Height's residents led to the listing of the neighborhood both in the National Register of Historic Places and as a Local Historic District at the same time.

(Designated 2010)

Map of Wilmore Local Historic District

Wilmore, located to the southwest of downtown Charlotte, was developed as a streetcar suburb in the early years of the 20th century. Wilmore mirrors the single family bungalows and wide curvilinear streets and sidewalks of Dilworth, and shared the streetcar line from the center of town with this sister neighborhood. The early history of the area that became the Wilmore area included its long use as farmland. It also contained parts of Blandville, one of several African-American villages that lay just outside the town of Charlotte and the Rudisill Gold Mine, one of the most productive of the mines that fueled the country’s first gold rush in and around Charlotte. In 1906, developer F. C. Abbot and the Southern Realty Company purchased the land that would become Wilmore from several owners.  Abbot combined the names of two of those former owners, the Wilson and Moore families, to create the name “Wilmore". Although it is primarily a single family neighborhood, Wilmore is also home to numerous duplexes, apartment buildings and churches, as well as commercial and industrial buildings.

Commission Staff

Ms. Kristi Harpst
Program Manager
emailKristina.Harpst@charlottenc.gov

Ms. Cindy Kochanek
Project Coordinator 
emailCynthia.Kochanek@charlottenc.gov

Ms. Jenny Shugart
Project Coordinator
emailJenny.Shugart@charlottenc.gov

Ms. Candice Leite
Planner
emailCandice.Leite@charlottenc.gov

Ms. Marilyn Drath
Associate Planner
emailMarilyn.Drath@charlottenc.gov

Ms. Linda Keich
Administrative Assistant
emailLinda.Keich@charlottenc.gov

Historic District Commission Information

Quick Links

Resources & Neighborhood Information

For more information regarding the Historic District Commission contact:

Charlotte Historic District Commission

location600 East Fourth Street (8th Floor)
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

phone contect 704.336.2205

email charlottehdc@charlottenc.gov