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Uncovering the Rich History of Charlotte's 'Black Wall Street' and its Restoration Efforts


Uncovering the Rich History of Charlotte's 'Black Wall Street' and its Restoration Efforts

Reviving Historic West End: How one woman is restoring a community

This building, at 333 Beatties Ford Road in the Biddleville neighborhood, was built in 1928 and once housed two lunch counters and a theater. Photo courtesy, James Peeler Collection, Johnson C. Smith University

Under Jim Crow laws in the first half of the 20th century, Black Charlotteans established neighborhoods like Biddleville and Greenville west of uptown near Johnson C. Smith University, the historically Black school founded in 1868. The area became known as West End.

Beginning in the 1960s, urban renewal and the development of Interstates 277 and 77 razed these neighborhoods or cut them off from the rest of the city. J’Tanya Adams realized how many places she’d visited and cherished as a child were disappearing from West End and, in 2010, founded a neighborhood nonprofit, Historic West End Partners. Her goal is to help restore West End’s commercial area along Beatties Ford Road to the center of Black business and opportunity it once was.

The building now houses Heat Press King, a screen-printing and embroidery business, and Sugar Dymes salon. Historic West End Partners, a nonprofit founded by J’Tanya Adams, is working to revive the Beatties Ford business corridor. Photo by Herman Nicholson

She’s had a strong start. With the help of volunteers and partners, Historic West End Partners has rehabilitated commercial buildings, helped business owners apply for grants, hosted community events, and commissioned murals. During COVID, she helped businesses navigate the U.S. government’s Paycheck Protection Program.

A decade and a half in, her nonprofit has more partners—and funding—than ever, including the Knight Foundation, LISC Charlotte, United Way of Greater Charlotte, Charlotte Center City Partners, Fifth Third Bank, JP Morgan Chase, and Lowe’s. Through those and other connections and knowledge, Historic West End Partners is tackling some of its most ambitious projects to date. Combined, Adams calls the series of projects “Thrive Hub.”

The collective goal of the projects, she explains, is to return the Beatties Ford corridor into a “thriving hub” of Black business as gentrification drives up housing prices and displaces longtime residents. The overall effort involves construction and renovation of buildings; efforts to attract more Black-owned business to the west side; establishment of small-business incubators and youth programs; opening markets and restaurants to improve access to healthy foods; improved access to transportation to complement the Gold Line, extended to Johnson C. Smith in 2021; and more.

Four Thrive Hub Projects

  1. BUILDING NEAR FIVE POINTS PLAZA
  2. Name and address TBD

    Historic West End Partners is working with 10 other nonprofits to renovate and outfit a six-story, mixed-use building near Five Points Plaza, where Beatties Ford Read, Rozzelles Ferry Road, West 5th Street, and West Trade Street intersect. Five Points is the historic gateway to West End; the plaza is a park and public space for cultural events that opened in 2022 with the help of a $6 million investment from the city. The building will be home to a food co-op; mixed-income housing; co-working space; a mobility hub, with scooters, bikes, and cars for rent as well as ride-sharing; and more—made possible in large part by a $394,000 grant from the Knight Foundation. Adams predicts the project will be completed by 2027.

  3. THRIVE INCUBATORS
  4. 1111 and 1017 Beatties Ford Road

    Last year, Historic West End Partners leased two houses it’s turned into incubators for up-and-coming businesses. In January, an herbal tea lounge, The Pauline Tea-Bar Apothecary, opened its second location inside 1017 Beatties Ford. It’ll share the building with local videographer Duvale Murchison, who’s opening a studio. Kemuel and Eunice Murray, who took over Morrison Cleaners and Alterations in SouthPark in 2017, are preparing to open 704 Cleaners & Alterations at 1111 Beatties Ford, alongside vision center Black Pearl Vision.

  5. THRIVE FOOD & EVENTS
  6. 1121 Beatties Ford Road

    In May, Historic West End Partners bought its first real estate, a small shopping center at 1121 Beatties Ford. It renovated a commercial kitchen with the help of

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Sofia Martinez
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Sofia Martinez

Sofia Martinez is a bilingual news reporter with a talent for bringing stories to life on both national and international platforms. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Sofia holds a degree in International Relations. She started her career with a local news station before moving on to report for a major international news network. Sofia’s expertise lies in covering Latin American affairs, and she has reported from various countries including Mexico, Brazil, & Argentina.

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