The Queen City recently overcame San Fransisco as the 15th largest city in the United States, with no signs of slowing down. With more people comes newer and bigger buildings. The landscape of our city is changing on a daily basis as we continue to experience this whirlwind of growth.

After taking a quick look into our crystal ball, we think it’s a safe bet that the 2020s will be a huge decade for Crown Town. But for now, let’s rewind the clock to a century to another period of rapid growth in the QC — the 1920s.

The buildings above are a few of the oldest in Uptown. They were necessary additions in the 1920s as the city’s central business district was beginning to blossom. The Gateway Building (limestone on the right) was added in 1925 and the Century Building (green on the left) followed shortly after in 1926.

Over the years, the Gateway Building has housed a bookstore, a grocery store, different offices for various small businesses, and even a piano store. Notable tenants of the Century Building were the Victory Barber Shop and the King’s Business College. The Century was also home to a Union Bus Terminal, allowing for these two buildings to serve as an early port of entry for center city.

Fun Fact: The buildings were designed by Charles Christian Hook, an architect responsible for many recognizable structures in Charlotte and North Carolina. He also designed the old Charlotte City Hall, the Charlotte Woman’s Club, the Duke Mansion, and the Belk Mansion, just to name a few.

This Queen City exploration is powered by OrthoCarolina.