Spirit Square , also called Spirit Square Center for the Arts , is located in Charlotte, North Carolina . Its McGlohon Theater in the former First Baptist Church on North Tryon Street , named for Loonis McGlohon , is now part of North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center .
55-423: Spirit Square opened in 1976 as an arts center offering dance, visual arts, theater and music. In 1972, First Baptist Church announced it was selling its buildings on North Tryon Street. In November 1974, Ferebee, Walters, and Associates said the cost of converting the old church into an arts center would be $ 1 million. In April 1975, a 100-member cultural arts committee asked Mecklenburg County commissioners to buy
110-481: A $ 200,000 grant from NCNB , the 800-seat theater was named NCNB Performance Place. Joel Grey performed at the black tie opening ceremony April 15, 1980. Knight Gallery opened in November 1983 with 2,900 square feet, the city's first nonprofit gallery for contemporary visual art. In November 1985, the city gave Spirit Square $ 2.7 million for a renovation. As Spirit Square prepared to celebrate its 10th anniversary,
165-531: A Charlotte lawyer who claimed the land swap was illegal. Reese had ambitions to move a Major League Baseball team to Charlotte and viewed a Triple-A sized stadium for the Knights as a detriment. In August 2006 the stadium became the source of more debate, as Mecklenburg County commission chairman Parks Helms said he would stall an arts project until the Charlotte City Council looked at
220-478: A female householder with no husband present, and 36.00% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 36.40% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
275-476: A fund-raising campaign began in May 1986 for the rest of the $ 5.5 million expected cost. A $ 6.5 million renovation and 7,300-square-foot addition completed in 1990 gave the arts center the building that had been desired since it began, and a new entrance at 345 North College Street. Middleton McMillan architects had to use five buildings built between 1908 and 1980, some that were part of the church, and one which had been
330-486: A million by 1990. A proposal to form a consolidated city-county government with Charlotte was considered, but voted down by residents in 1971. The metropolitan statistical area now includes 11 counties in both North Carolina and South Carolina , and had an estimated combined population of 2,805,115 in 2023. In mid-2020, the county was the site of the 2020 Colonial Pipeline oil spill , wherein about 2,000,000 U.S. gal (7,600,000 L) of gasoline leaked from
385-484: A new main library and a 15-story tower while keeping McGlohon Theatre. 35°13′45″N 80°50′24″W / 35.22917°N 80.84000°W / 35.22917; -80.84000 Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Mecklenburg County ( / ˈ m ɛ k l ə n ˌ b ɜːr ɡ / ) is a county located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of North Carolina , in the United States . As of
440-448: A printing plant. Ceiling heights and floor materials changed in the different buildings, making renovation challenging, and $ 400,000 had to be spent to remove asbestos after an estimate of only $ 75,000, due to incorrect plans. With changes in the interior design, the total space increased from 80,000 to 100,000 square feet. A carved rosette arch at the new entrance recalled J.M. McMichael, the architect of First Baptist. Stained glass from
495-533: A proposal he backed to bring baseball to Uptown. Furthermore, it could expand the Atlantic Coast Conference 's plans to return the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament to Charlotte. The ACC tournament had been held at Knights Stadium until the NCAA's ban on South Carolina having predetermined championships took effect because of NAACP pressure in relation to the state's display of
550-637: A total of six college baseball games during the upcoming season during the Sunbelt Rentals Collegiate Baseball Series. This is the most in the ballpark's history. Truist Field hosted the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament , May 25–30, 2021. The 2020 games were scheduled to be held at Truist Field but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In March 2023, the Paper Mill Pub opened at
605-751: Is a proposed 29-mile (47 km) east-west light rail line that would connect the outlying cities and towns of Belmont , Matthews , Stallings and Indian Trail to Uptown Charlotte and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport . Originally setup as two separate projects known as the Southeast Corridor and West Corridor, they were merged in 2019 by the Metropolitan Transit Commission. The tentative opening date in 2037. Mecklenburg's manufacturing base, its central location on
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#1732780573061660-507: Is home to ten Fortune 1000 companies. Wachovia , a former Fortune 500 company, had its headquarters in Charlotte until it was acquired by Wells Fargo for $ 15.1 billion. Wells Fargo maintains the majority of the former company's operations in Charlotte. Goodrich Corporation , a former Fortune 500 company, had its headquarters in Charlotte until it was acquired by United Technologies Corporation for $ 18.4 billion. Charlotte
715-630: Is located at 1914 North Tryon Street . A new centralized multimodal train station, Gateway Station, has been planned for the city. It is expected to house the future LYNX Purple Line, the new Greyhound bus station, and the Crescent line that passes through Uptown Charlotte. Mecklenburg County is the proposed southern terminus for the initial segment of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor operating between Charlotte and Washington, D.C. Currently in conceptual design,
770-484: Is now the headquarters for UTC Aerospace Systems . The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte. With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta, and the large volumes of freight moving in and out of the county via truck. Mecklenburg County
825-500: Is served daily by three Amtrak routes. The Crescent train connects Charlotte with New York , Philadelphia , Baltimore , Washington , Charlottesville , and Greensboro to the north, and Atlanta , Birmingham and New Orleans to the southwest. The Carolinian train connects Charlotte with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond , Raleigh , Durham and Greensboro. The Piedmont train connects Charlotte with Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro. The Amtrak station
880-553: Is water. Nature preserves in Charlotte: As of the 2020 census , there were 1,115,482 people, 426,313 households, and 254,759 families residing in the county. At the 2000 census , there were 695,454 people, 273,416 households, and 174,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,322 people per square mile (510 people/km ). There were 292,780 housing units at an average density of 556 units per square mile (215 units/km ). The racial makeup of
935-626: The 2020 census , the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wake County ), and the first county in the Carolinas to surpass one million in population. Its county seat is Charlotte , the state's largest municipality. Mecklenburg County is the central county of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area . On September 12, 2013, it
990-698: The Charlotte Knights , a Triple-A Minor League Baseball team in the International League . It is also the third sports building to be built in Uptown, after Bank of America Stadium (home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers and MLS's Charlotte FC ) and Spectrum Center (home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets ). An Uptown stadium for the Knights had been a long-running saga in Charlotte, occasionally
1045-578: The Charlotte Transportation Center and future Charlotte Gateway Station , before continuing to French Street in Biddleville (Charlotte neighborhood) , near the campus of Johnson C. Smith University . Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) bus service serves all of Mecklenburg County, including Charlotte, and the municipalities of Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Matthews, Pineville, and Mint Hill. The Lynx Silver Line
1100-549: The Colonial Pipeline in the Oehler Nature Preserve near Huntersville . It is one of the largest gasoline spills in U.S. history, and cleanup efforts are expected to last for several years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 546.09 square miles (1,414.4 km ), of which 523.61 square miles (1,356.1 km ) is land and 22.48 square miles (58.2 km ) (4.12%)
1155-482: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte ) were built. Lake Norman was also completed in 1964, after a five-year construction period. In the mid-20th century, the county continued to see rapid growth. Many new government buildings were constructed, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport was expanded in 1954. By 1960, a quarter million people were living in the county, with the population reaching half
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#17327805730611210-481: The poverty line , including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over. Mecklenburg County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments . The county is governed by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC is a nine-member board made up of representatives elected from six single-member districts , and three at-large representatives elected by
1265-544: The Board of County Commissioners are: Mecklenburg County was one of the first parts of North Carolina to break away from a Solid South voting pattern. It was a Republican-leaning swing county for most of the second half of the 20th century, supporting the GOP all but three times from 1952 to 2000. However, the county has strongly trended Democratic in the 21st century, particularly in federal and statewide elections. The expansion of
1320-718: The City of Charlotte and the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville (north of Charlotte); and the towns of Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville (south and southeast of Charlotte). A small portion of Stallings is also in Mecklenburg County, though most of that town is in Union County . Extraterritorial jurisdictions within the county are annexed by municipalities as soon as they reach sufficient concentrations. Townships are administrative divisions of unincorporated county land and do not have any government function. By
1375-610: The Confederate flag on the State House grounds. The former site of the Piedmont and Northern Railway 's Interurban Depot , which was razed before 1970 and had since been used for car parking and storage, was chosen as the location for the new ballpark in Uptown's Third Ward . Multiple new mid-rise hotels are expected to open in the area around the new stadium, along with restaurants and retail. The first event held at
1430-1034: The Eastern Seaboard, and the intersection of two major interstates in the county have made it a hub for the trucking industry. Also located in the county is the Inland Port of Charlotte , which is a major rail corridor for CSX rail lines. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) serves the entire county; however, the State of North Carolina also has approved a number of charter schools in Mecklenburg County (independently operated schools financed with tax dollars). The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County serves residents of Mecklenburg County. Library cards from any branch can be used at all 20 locations. The library has an extensive collection (over 1.5 million items) of reference and popular materials including DVDs, books on CD, best sellers, downloadable media, and books. The Billy Graham Library contains
1485-541: The Mecklenburg County Commission are required by North Carolina State law to choose a chair and vice-chair once a year (at the first meeting of December). Historically, the individual elected was the 'top-vote-getter', typically one of three at-large members. In 2014 this unofficial rule was changed by the Board to allow any member to serve as Chair or vice-chair as long as they received support from 4 members plus their own vote. The nine members of
1540-628: The SEHSR would eventually run from Washington, D.C. to Macon, Georgia . Light rail service in Mecklenburg County is provided by LYNX Rapid Transit Services . Currently, the 19-mile (31 km) Lynx Blue Line runs from University of North Carolina at Charlotte , through Uptown Charlotte , to Pineville ; build-out is expected to be complete by 2034. The CityLynx Gold Line , a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) streetcar line runs from Sunnyside Avenue, in Plaza-Midwood , through Uptown Charlotte , stopping at
1595-667: The ballpark as a year-round bar offering lunch and dinner. On January 13 2024, Trust Field will host the Queen City Outdoor Classic hockey game between the Charlotte Checkers and Rochester Americans. This will be the Checkers' first outdoor game. On April 23, 2012, it was announced that BB&T , a bank based in Winston-Salem , acquired the naming rights for the new ballpark. The terms of
1650-568: The ballpark was a media softball game, which took place on March 22, 2014. The first Knights game took place on April 11, 2014. The stadium hosted the 2016 Triple-A All-Star Game in which the International League All-Stars defeated the Pacific Coast League All-Stars, 4–2. On January 31, 2018, Charlotte Knights Chief Operating Officer Dan Rajkowski announced that the Knights will host
1705-567: The buildings, which consultant Ralph Burgard said would improve the area. Commissioners voted to spend $ 335,000 to buy the buildings. A six-month study by Spirit Square Development Group, chaired by Alex McMillan , resulted in a plan to spend $ 300,000 to renovate the education building on Seventh Street, and $ 2.5 million on the sanctuary. On June 1, 1976, the property was leased to Spirit Square Arts Council Corp. for 25 years. County voters approved $ 2.5 million in bonds in April 1977. In January 1980 after
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1760-576: The church was taken out of storage and used to add character and recall history. With the opening of the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in 1992, uptown Charlotte had a new location for performances. This led to a decreased role for Spirit Square as a location for events. In August 1995, Spirit Square agreed to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Arts & Science Council recommendation to convert to an arts education center. In December of that year, it
1815-433: The county was 64.02% White , 27.87% Black or African American , 0.35% American Indian/Alaska Native , 3.15% Asian , 0.05% Pacific Islander , 3.01% from other races , and 1.55% from two or more races. 6.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 273,416 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% were married couples living together, 12.40% had
1870-452: The county's focus would be on the new Wachovia cultural campus on South Tryon Street. By this time, Opera Carolina , Northwest School of the Arts and The Light Factory were using space and their futures were uncertain. The 15-member Spirit Square Community Task Force began working to find a way to maximize the site's potential and still keep the historic character. Originally, the sale of
1925-458: The deal were undisclosed and the ballpark was afterwards officially referred to as BB&T Ballpark. In 2019, BB&T merged with Atlanta -based SunTrust to form Truist , based in Charlotte; on June 11, 2020, it was announced that new name would be Truist Field. The stadium features a two-level club with skyline views as well as a VIP, climate-controlled club with full-service bar. In total, there are 975 club seats and 22 luxury suites at
1980-531: The declaration each year in May, the date of which is included on the flag of North Carolina . The first gold rush in the United States, the Carolina Gold Rush , began after a 12-year-old boy named Conrad Reed discovered a gold nugget in a stream in neighboring Cabarrus County . Many miners and merchants began settling in the county during that time. The first United States branch mint
2035-489: The entire county. This electoral structure favors at-large candidates who appeal to the majority population of the county. Each District has a population of approximately 165,000 individuals. All seats are partisan and are for 2-year terms (elections occur in even years). The current chairman of the Mecklenburg BOCC is George Dunlap (D, District 3). The Current Vice-chair is Elaine Powell (D, District 1). Members of
2090-453: The financial and business communities since the late 20th century attracted many newcomers from other areas of the country, with more diverse voting patterns. The more ethnically diverse core and northern sections of Charlotte trend Democratic, while wealthier and whiter suburban areas to the south of the city lean more Republican. In 2004, John Kerry became only the fourth Democrat to carry Mecklenburg County since Harry Truman in 1948, and
2145-579: The fiscal year 2022, MEDIC responded to over 160,000 calls for service and transported over 107,000 patients. While MEDIC is a division of Mecklenburg County Government, a board guides and directs MEDIC that consists of members affiliated with Atrium Health , Novant Health and a swing vote provided by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. Atrium and Novant are the two major medical institutions in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mecklenburg County contains seven municipalities including
2200-434: The new home of cultural festivals and many of the musical acts. Chamber music moved to local colleges. Soon the renamed theatre was seeing less use, partly because it was too small, but Children's Theatre of Charlotte had some performances there. By 1999, the 30-year-old Community School of the Arts was the main tenant. Actor's Theatre still used the 180-seat Duke Power Theatre, and North Carolina Dance Theatre used part of
2255-416: The papers and memorabilia related to the career of the well-known 20th century evangelist, Billy Graham . Two major healthcare providers exist within Mecklenburg County, Atrium Health , and Novant Health . The two healthcare systems combined offer 14 emergency departments throughout Mecklenburg County, including a psychiatric emergency department and two children's emergency departments. Two hospitals in
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2310-406: The property would have helped to pay for the new uptown baseball stadium , and arts groups would have had to leave, but a different financing method was used for the stadium. Opera Carolina did leave and Northwest School was considering it. Expansion of the library's main branch next door had to be considered, since the library might use part of the property. In 2008, a plan was announced to build
2365-542: The region offer trauma services with one level I trauma center and one level II . Atrium Health , legally Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, is the public hospital authority of the county. The residents of Mecklenburg County are provided emergency medical service by MEDIC, the Mecklenburg EMS Agency. All emergency ambulance service is provided by MEDIC. No other emergency transport companies are allowed to operate within Mecklenburg County. In
2420-571: The requirements of the North Carolina Constitution of 1868 , Mecklenburg County was divided into 15 townships . However, one township, Sharon, was later annexed to the Charlotte township and ceased to exist. The townships, which are both numbered and named, are as follows: BB%26T Ballpark (Charlotte) Truist Field is a baseball stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina , United States. The Uptown -area stadium hosts
2475-546: The same time, John McCain became the first Republican to win less than 40 percent of the county's vote since 1948. Obama won the county almost as easily in 2012. The county swung even further in favor of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, with both beating Obama's 2008 total. However, Republicans continue to retain some strength in local races. The major industries of Mecklenburg County are banking , manufacturing , and professional services, especially those supporting banking and medicine . Mecklenburg County
2530-475: The space. Tryon Center for Visual Art used the galleries, and groups not related to the arts were renting space. For example, once again, the former church was being used as a church. In 2007, Mecklenburg County wanted to sell part of the Spirit Square complex, but not McGlohon Theatre or Duke Power Theatre. In June 2006, commissioners voted to end subsidies that had reached $ 1.4 million a year. Instead,
2585-559: The state of South Carolina . In 1768, most of this area (the part of Mecklenburg County west of the Catawba River ) was designated Tryon County , North Carolina. Determining the final boundaries of these "western" areas between North and South Carolina was a decades-long process. As population increased in the area following the American Revolutionary War , in 1792 the northeastern part of Mecklenburg County
2640-480: The subject of contentious debate. Since the dawn of the new millennium, the Knights had consistently had the worst attendance in the International League . Their stadium at the time, Knights Stadium , was located in Fort Mill, South Carolina , 30 minutes south of Uptown Charlotte. Many fans were unwilling to brave the traffic on Interstate 77 to get there. The project had been repeatedly blocked by Jerry Reese,
2695-464: The third to win it with a majority since Franklin Roosevelt 's last campaign in 1944. In 2008, the county swung dramatically to support Barack Obama , who won 60.8 percent of the county's vote, at the time the strongest showing for a Democrat in the county since Roosevelt's landslides. Obama's 100,100-vote margin in the county helped him become the first Democrat to carry North Carolina since 1976. At
2750-413: Was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 50,579, and the median income for a family was $ 60,608. Males had a median income of $ 40,934 versus $ 30,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 27,352. About 6.60% of families and 9.20% of the population were below
2805-485: Was announced that Spirit Square Center for Arts and Education would be taken over by the Blumenthal organization June 30, 1997. The 720-seat NationsBank Performance Place was named Loonis McGlohon Theatre for Loonis McGlohon in a January 9, 1998 event. Other venues began taking over some of the events. Great Aunt Stella Center (Formerally known as The African American Culture Center located on 7th street) became
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#17327805730612860-464: Was established in 1837 in Charlotte and continued operations until 1913. The original building was moved from its original site and redeveloped as a museum . In 1917, during World War I , Camp Greene was established west of Charlotte as an army training camp. In 1919, after the end of WWI, it was decommissioned. Around the 1930s and 1940s, the population began to rapidly increase. During this time, Carolinas Medical Center and Charlotte College (now
2915-575: Was estimated the county surpassed one million residents. Like its seat, the county is named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , Queen of the United Kingdom (1761–1818), whose name is derived from the region of Mecklenburg in Germany . It was named for Mecklenburg Castle (Mecklenburg meaning "large castle" in Low German ) in the village of Dorf Mecklenburg . Mecklenburg County
2970-463: Was formed by English colonists in 1762 from the western part of Anson County , both in the Piedmont section of the state. It was named in commemoration of the marriage of King George III to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , for whom the county seat Charlotte is named. Due to unsure boundaries, a large part of south and western Mecklenburg County extended into areas that would later form part of
3025-591: Was taken by the North Carolina legislature for Cabarrus County . Finally, in 1842 the southeastern part of Mecklenburg County was combined with the western part of Anson County to form Union County . The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was allegedly signed on May 20, 1775, and if the document is genuine, Mecklenburg County was the first part of the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. The "Mecklenburg Resolves" were adopted on May 31, 1775. Mecklenburg continues to celebrate
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