A neighborhood I'm excited about!
If you were in Charlotte in the 90’s, and you wanted culture, you could go one place…. North Davidson Street. This street and the neighborhood that surrounded it is located in Charlotte, and from about 24th St – 36th St, artists congregated here. Real artists. Why here? Well, the commercial buildings were somewhat shoddy but had character, the houses were run-down but were historic bungalows with alot of charm. Crime was high, house prices were low. Ah! We’ve hit on one of the keys. Rent was CHEAP! Houses were cheap to rent, artists could become homeowners if they wished. Bars like Fat City and Pat’s one more could exist and thrive because of the low values of the buildings. The area had enough ‘darkness’ as to inspire true artwork.
What happened? Well, artists are cool! Everyone wants to be affiliated with the cool people. As the neighborhood became known as the NoDa (North Davidson) , and as ‘the art district’ was born there admirers began buying into the neighborhood at a breakneck pace. Condos were built, houses were flipped, buildings were demolished for larger buildings, trendy places entered, rents went up, and the neighborhood quickly became a rather pricey area to live or work in.
While the neighborhood is very cool (only 2 miles north of downtown, close to train station, public transportation, parks, lots of historic charm, high walkability), the people who made it what it is today became priced out of the neighborhood. There may be lots of great art galleries there now, but fewer artists can afford to make their studios there. A starving artist certainly cannot afford the mortgage on a $450,000 bungalow!
Prior to NoDa, the place for many artists was Plaza Midwood. The same thing happened to them there. Briefly, there was a really cool, run down building near Trade Street & Graham that housed some artwork(and some artists). The building was torn down to make way for a parking lot, then a high rise.
So where can artists go these days if they live in the greater Charlotte area? As of right now, I have heard the same resounding answer: NOWHERE! They are largely scattered throughout the city and without a communal place to collaborate and get inspired.
This is all about to change. A neighborhood is quietly gearing up to become the next destination for artists. It has all the makings: cheap housing, beautiful commercial and residential structures, historic charm, and the right amout of grittiness. I would like to keep it under wraps for awhile to give the artists a heads up first. Are there any artists left in this area? Give me a call and I’ll give you the 411.