Brick by brick, he built structures with memorable designs
Brick by brick, he built structures with memorable designs
Plus: Ledger crossword; Top news of the week — ACC HQ moves to Charlotte — Actor's Theatre of Charlotte to close after 33 years — Former presidents visit Quail Hollow for Presidents Cup
Need to subscribe? Or upgrade your subscription?
Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Fox Rothschild, a national law firm whose Charlotte-based attorneys provide litigation, real estate, labor and employment, corporate and a wide range of other services to clients in the Carolinas and across the country.
W.W. Smith went from brick-making and masonry to designing and constructing buildings in Charlotte’s Brooklyn neighborhood and beyond
Editor’s note: You see their names on street signs or parks, but who were some of the big-name people from decades ago who shaped Charlotte? They have fascinating stories, and for the next few Saturdays, we’re sharing them with you.
by John Short
The signature brickwork of Charlotte’s first black architect sits atop the oldest commercial building in uptown, the Mecklenburg Investment Co. on 3rd and Brevard streets. Its diamond brick pattern is one of the subtle legacies of William W. Smith that are hiding in plain sight on historic buildings in Charlotte, Salisbury and Rock Hill, S.C.
Smith was likely born into slavery in 1862 in Mecklenburg County. As he began his career, he made his way to Charlotte’s Brooklyn neighborhood in the late 1800s. Smith was never formally educated as a contractor or architect but apprenticed under William H. Houser, Charlotte’s most prolific brickmason of the era, who is credited with supplying roughly half of the red clay brick that was the predominant building material in Charlotte at the time.
W.W. Smith (1862-1937) designed and built many structures in the Charlotte region, including the Mecklenburg Investment Co. building on Brevard Street uptown (right), Grace AME Zion Church, a library branch and college buildings.
Smith’s career would grow from brick-making and masonry into building and contracting. As demand for his building expertise grew within Charlotte’s black community, he became a leader among the self-described “Black Better Class” that emerged in Charlotte’s Brooklyn neighborhood. This group of educated professionals would create many of the institutions critical to establishing Charlotte’s black community in Brooklyn in the early 1900s.
The Mecklenburg Investment Co. building that Smith built, for instance, “served as a center for social, business, and professional activities for Charlotte’s black citizens” for about 40 years, according to a report by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission. It was home to a corner shop, restaurant and doctors’ and dentists’ offices and was a meeting spot for Charlotte’s black Masonic lodges. It’s one of the few remaining structures from the old Brooklyn neighborhood.
Smith and his wife, Keziah, lived on South Caldwell Street and were founding members of the congregation of the Grace AME Zion Church, the original structure of which still stands today at 219 S. Brevard St. in uptown. The structure’s longevity is a testament to Smith, who oversaw the construction of “The Grace.”
While the Charlotte architecture firm Hayden, Wheeler, and Schewend designed and served as the architects for the building, Smith struck a deal with his fellow church members that if the congregation met the fundraising goals for the project, he would supply the materials and labor for construction of the church building.
Courtesy of congregants’ diligent fundraising efforts selling ice cream and fried fish on weekends, as well as some generous community donations, the congregation of the Grace met the goal in 1900. Construction of the building began in October of that year. Smith oversaw the construction of the building and 18 months later, the church was dedicated, in July 1902. One year later, Smith designed and built a sanctuary for the church.
In addition to the Grace, Smith constructed the masonry for the first public library in North Carolina for black citizens, the Brevard Street branch of the Charlotte Public Library. His recognizable designs and buildings across the region include the Mecklenburg Investment Co. building and the Afro-American Insurance Co. buildings in Rock Hill.
Smith’s building designs often represent the Gothic Revival style of architecture and utilize the straight lines of the structure, often contrasted with diamonds and other geometric patterns in the brickwork. As with the Mecklenburg Investment Co., Smith would often overlay the designs with yellow brick, providing a colorful and striking contrast.
Smith would move beyond Charlotte in his later years, teaching bricklaying at Livingstone College in Salisbury, founded in 1879 by a group of AME Zion ministers to train new ministers. In addition to teaching, Smith would also design and build the historic Hood Hall and Goler Hall buildings at Livingstone.
Smith would work until his death in 1937. He was laid to rest in the family mausoleum he designed in Charlotte’s Pinewood Cemetery. At the time of his death, Smith had become such a well-known figure in Charlotte that even the white-owned newspapers acknowledged his passing, a rare recognition for a black man in Charlotte.
W.W. Smith’s iconic diamond brick design is currently on display on the Mecklenburg Investment Co. building at 229 S. Brevard St. in uptown, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Smith’s legacy is honored with a mural on the rear of the building, recently completed by Charlotte muralist Abel Jackson.
John Short is a freelance writer and co-host of The Charlotte Podcast who loves digging up Charlotte’s past and pondering its future. Say hey when you see him on the streetcar.
Today’s supporting sponsors are Soni Brendle…
… and Topsail Wealth Management, which provides clients with a premier wealth management partnership. With a high-value and low-cost approach, clients minimize costs and keep more of their wealth. …
This week’s Charlotte-themed crossword
Today’s theme: “Winner’s circles”
Ledger crosswords are constructed by Chris King, edited by Tim Whitmire and presented by CXN Advisory. Enjoy this week’s edition:
.PDF (suitable for download and printing):
.PUZ (suitable for use on tablets and computers with Across Lite app):
For nearly 30 other crosswords with local clues, check out our dedicated Charlotte Ledger Crossword page.
This week in Charlotte: ACC picks Charlotte for new HQ; Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte to close after 33 years; Charlotte FC ticket prices to rise slightly; Are Ballantyne monuments doomed?
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Local news
ACC moves HQ to Charlotte: (ACC) The City of Charlotte has been officially chosen for the relocation of the Atlantic Coast Conference headquarters from its former Greensboro home of 70 years to the Bank of America Tower at Legacy Union in uptown Charlotte.
Final curtain: (WFAE) The Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte is closing after more than three decades of performances but will remain open through its upcoming Season 34 production of “Evil Dead the Musical,” which ends Oct. 30.
Former presidents appear at President’s Cup: (PGA Tour on Twitter) Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush made appearances at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club on Friday.
Politics
Former city manager dies: (Observer) Charlotte’s longest-serving city manager Wendell White, who served 1981 to 1996, passed away Thursday at the age of 90.
Financial disclosure forms overdue: (WFAE) Three Congressional candidates from the Charlotte area missed a May deadline to file federally required financial disclosure forms, and still have not filed them. They include Republican Pat Harrigan, Democrat Scott Huffman and Republican Tyler Lee.
Business
New corporate HQ: (Observer) Industrial manufacturer Columbus McKinnon is relocating its corporate headquarters from Buffalo, N.Y., to the SPX FLOW building in Ballantyne, where it will have enough space to hire 100 new workers.
Education
State student loan tax change unlikely: (Associated Press) Republican Senate leader Phil Berger said he opposes the idea of changing state tax law to exempt federal student loan forgiveness, because he says changing the law would be unfair to other taxpayers and he doubts the federal government has the authority to wipe away student loan debt.
Sports
Charlotte FC ticket prices increase: (Axios Charlotte) Next year’s Charlotte FC season ticket prices are up an average of 4%, which makes the club’s season ticket prices among the highest in Major League Soccer.
Good reads
Did Richard Petty actually autograph a live duck? (North Carolina Rabbit Hole) Writer Jeremy Markovich did what he does best in his newsletter this week, going to great lengths to answer the question of whether racing legend Richard Petty once signed a live duck, as he told a reporter in 1992 that he had done.
Fixing Charlotte’s problems: (Observer, subscriber-only) Data shows that the majority Democratic Charlotte City Council has made limited progress on its key priorities over the past few years — such as making housing affordable and decreasing violent crimes — which are issues the new council will face alongside a new county commission after an election in November.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Q&A with new museum CEO: The Ledger sat down with Terri White, the new CEO and president of the Charlotte Museum of History, to learn more about her goals, what museum visitors can expect in the near future, and what parts of Charlotte’s history she admires most.
The monthly hot rezonings🔥: Each month, we bring you the latest rezoning requests, which provide early glimpses of what developers are planning across the city. This month’s rezonings include townhouses in the Palisades and Steele Creek areas and new apartments on Weddington Road.
Ballantyne Birdmen: Among the exhibits at the Charlotte International Arts Festival, which runs through Oct. 2, is “Birdmen,” which can be described as roving human/puppet-like “birds.” We caught up with them at Ballantyne’s Backyard.
Charlotte Latin asks to dismiss lawsuit: Lawyers for Charlotte Latin School asked a Mecklenburg County judge to throw out the lawsuit against the elite private school, arguing that the school was justified in kicking out two students because of their father’s repeated objections to what he believed to be political activism in the classroom.
Ballantyne monuments endangered: Four massive monuments at the corner of Johnston Road and Ballantyne Commons Parkway, which were built in the mid-1990s when the site was first developed, might need to be relocated due to the state’s plans to widen Johnston Road.
Charity Spotlight: Camp Blue Skies offers camp sessions every year in the spring and fall for adults 21+ with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and who otherwise have limited social opportunities after graduating out of the school system.
New world of office design: To get a sense for the changing trends in home and workplace office design, we turned to Charlotte-area designers who are creating spaces to meet the new needs that have emerged in the last couple of years.
Airport parking: Parking spots are hard to come by at Charlotte Douglas International Airport these days unless you’ve made a reservation ahead of time, with most of the airport lots marked “booked” or “closed” because they’re full. Also, construction related to the new terminal expansion means that the upper-level road that is usually the departures entrance will be closed for two weeks starting Tuesday.
YMCA drops Steele Creek plans: The YMCA of Greater Charlotte has backed out of its plan to build a 14,000 s.f. state-of-the-art facility in Steele Creek, stating that “Steele Creek is currently best served through the Y’s multiple partnerships and program sites, allowing us the opportunity to serve all,” according to a YMCA spokesperson.
Residents’ take on Ballantyne monuments: After reading in Wednesday’s Ledger that four monuments in Ballantyne might need to be moved for a road widening project, readers took to the Ballantyne Connections Facebook page to leave comments like “LEAVE THEM WHERE THEY ARE!!!!!!!!” and “NOTHING is sacred here anymore.”
Joyce Reimann, who passed away Aug. 1 from a heart attack, created and oversaw one of the state’s most unusual libraries — the Mecklenburg County Law & Government Library, which helped both attorneys and law professionals as well as average citizens seeking legal advice.
Nearly two years after the announcement of the $13.5B Charlotte MOVES transit plan, city leaders signaled this week that the plan might change to include regional cooperation at its core, which is a reversal of the previous strategy to build buy-in and regional support.
With just three games left, what does Charlotte FC need to do to make the playoffs?
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 4 of our local newsletters:
➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.
➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.
Sponsorship information/customer service: email support@cltledger.com.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project