CHARLOTTE COMMUNITY SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Connecting Past and Present in NoDa: Mill Village, Arts District, and Neighborhood Future

Kurt L. Garfield, Dr. Aaron Shapiro1

1 Department of History, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

BACKGROUND: In the last decade, a stretch of North Davidson Street in North Charlotte has served as the center of the neighborhood that has become popularly known as the NoDa Historic Arts District. The area was initially established as a mill village at the turn of the twentieth century. The neighborhood experienced economic downturn between the 1950s-1970s after the closure of its three mills. During the late 1980s, the neighborhood gained new life as art studios began to move into the old mill village. Since the 1990s the area has seen an influx of new residents, contributing to rapid gentrification. Despite its popularity as a historic arts district, upscale condominiums and apartments are replacing many of the historical structures and art studios. This trend is likely to increase as the LYNX light rail is set to open in 2017. Around 2006, in response to growth and change in NoDa, a group of neighbors formed the NoDa Back in the Day Committee. The committee aims to preserve and document the neighborhood’s history, amid a number of challenges. How has NoDa preserved its historical integrity as a historic arts district? Can historic preservation adapt to the forces of gentrification and urban growth? Can history help foster a sense of place and identity and connect people within a historic community?

METHODS: This study utilized a number of public history techniques, including oral history interviews, digitization and cataloguing of neighborhood archival material, and photographic documentation. Work was done with the committee members to help develop an action plan for continued dissemination of historic material and foster public engagement of the neighborhood’s history within the community.

RESULTS: The results of my project included the digitization of much of the Back in the Day Committee’s physical archival material, the creation of an archival database, collection of relevant historic material to add to the archives, interviews with committee members, and work on an action plan to help further historical research in the neighborhood. During the summer, articles were crafted for publication in the NoDa News, the neighborhood’s local publication.

CONCLUSIONS: The purpose of this study carries greater implications beyond the NoDa Historic Arts District. The research conducted and work done for the NoDa Back in the Day Committee can be applied to any historic neighborhood attempting to preserve its history amid challenges posed by urban growth and gentrification. By preserving and identifying a neighborhood’s historical narratives, the public historian can help create an important dialogue between neighbors and residents to foster a sense of place and shared historical authority. This research also identifies the challenges and limitations that a public historian faces in working to preserve a neighborhood’s history and adapting historic preservation to urban growth and gentrification. The research done this summer helped provide the community members with a number of public history tools and techniques for future use.