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Until the early 1950's, Stonewall Street, Second Street, and Third
Street stopped at College Street, and a big railroad freight yard
separated the area along South Brevard St. from the fancy stores and shops,
like the Latta Arcade, that stood along South Tryon Street. That meant
that this neighborhood, which is part of
Second Ward and locally known
as Brooklyn, was
Mecklenburg Investment Company Building
hospitable to
African Americans, who were forced to live apart from whites during the
days of Jim Crow laws and legal racial segregation.
This block of South Brevard Street between Third Street and Fourth Street became a sort of main street for Charlotte's African American community at the turn of the century. The development of this block was largely due to the efforts of two remarkable men.
One was Thad L. Tate (1865-1951), who operated an uptown barber shop where he cut white men's hair, including Governor Cameron Morrison's. Tate helped establish the Brevard Street branch of the public library, which used to stand on the upper end of the block.
The other was Dr. J. T. Williams (1859-1924). A prominent and respected educator, physician, businessman and public servant, he built an elegant 3-story house in this block. Unfortunately, it was torn down in the 1970's.
Tate and Williams were among the leaders in overseeing the construction of the Mecklenburg Investment Company Building in 1922. The contractor was W. W. Smith, another enterprising black man. The Mecklenburg Investment Company Building was the first structure in Charlotte planned and executed by African Americans to accommodate black businesses, professional offices, and civic and fraternal organizations.
Continue north on Brevard Street and look at the church immediately next to the Mecklenburg Investment Company Building.
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