Tower & Spire Among Concrete & Glass…Nestled in Century-Old Trees
The oldest and largest historic church in Uptown Charlotte is the First Presbyterian Church on W. Trade Street. Most of the early settlers, who migrated to Mecklenburg County in the 18th century were Scots-Irish Presbyterians. In the 1730’s, the Royal government began to aggressively market land here in Charlotte and the Scots-Irish began pouring into the region in search of cheap land. They rested in the ‘center city’ area and in 1845, formed what is now, the oldest church in Charlotte’s ‘backcountry.’
The majority of the ornate structure, including its crenelated parapets, towers, spires, and pinnacles, was not completed until the mid-1890’s.
In the late 1980’s, Charlotte’s desolate downtown area began a massive transformation and became known as Uptown Charlotte. Charlotte’s Center City was transformed, in what seemed to be overnight, to a vibrant, economically viable hot-spot in the Southeast. Soon, Charlotte was not only attracting Fortune 500 companies to it’s center city but, professional sports teams, major concert and art venues, restaurants, arts and more arts…and so much more!
Highrises began filling the Uptown area and the city’s makeover proved to be a huge success. Today, amid the concrete and glass, nestled in century-old trees in Uptown, sits one of Charlotte’s most coveted historic buildings, First Presbyterian Church. The contrast of old vs. new is more striking in this one location than any other in Charlotte. Historic Uptown features one of the oldest Churches in the region – amid the steel and concrete, glass and modern day flare, this historic church remains the focal point in Charlotte Uptown’s Third Ward.
© Debe Maxwell | The Maxwell House Group | CharlotteBroker@icloud.com |Old vs. New – Tower & Spire Among Concrete & Glass in Charlotte’s Uptown