Brooklyn was a historically African American neighborhood located in the Second Ward of Charlotte, North Carolina. It was one of the largest and most significant Black communities in the Carolinas before its demolition during urban renewal projects in the 1960s and 1970s.
Origins and Development
The area was originally known as "Logtown" and grew after the American Civil War as freed slaves settled in urban areas. An 1892 Charlotte Townships map identified the area as "Logtown." The community's Black population continued to grow, and the neighborhood eventually became known as "Brooklyn," reportedly as an homage to the New York City borough. The neighborhood occupied approximately 238 acres in Charlotte's Second Ward, bounded by Trade Street to the north, Tryon Street to the west, and Boundary Street and Little Sugar Creek to the south and east.
Community Institutions
Brooklyn was a self-sustaining community that functioned as a "city within a city." It was home to numerous businesses, residences, churches, and civic organizations. Key institutions included:
- Myers Street School: Charlotte's first school for African Americans, which closed in 1907.
- Second Ward High School: Built in 1923 as the Charlotte Colored High School, it was Charlotte's only high school open to African American students. It was renamed Second Ward High School and closed in 1969 following integration, when African American schools were closed across the South and students were bused to previously white schools.
- A.M.E. Zion Publishing House
- A YMCA and a library
- Numerous churches, including the Old Grace A.M.E. Zion Church
- The Queen City Drug Store
- The Savoy theater, one of several theaters serving the community
The neighborhood was home to families from all socioeconomic backgrounds and served as the cultural and economic epicenter of Black Charlotte.
Demolition and Urban Renewal
During the 1960s, the neighborhood was razed as part of Charlotte's first wave of urban renewal projects. The demolition was carried out under the federal Urban Renewal Act, and the area was replaced by government and commercial buildings. The project forced out its residents, displacing over a thousand families. The neighborhood essentially ceased to exist as a residential community.
Legacy
A few buildings from the former neighborhood remain, including the Old Grace A.M.E. Zion Church and the Second Ward Gym. In 2009, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture opened in the Second Ward, named after Harvey Gantt, an architect and the first Black mayor of Charlotte. In 2019, the Levine Museum of the New South held an exhibit about the community.
In 2019, plans were announced for a new mixed-use development called Brooklyn Village to be built in the Second Ward, with the name paying homage to the former neighborhood. In 2022, Stonewall Street was renamed "Brooklyn Village Avenue," and the nearby LYNX light rail Stonewall station was renamed Brooklyn Village station.
In Popular Culture
Rose Leary Love wrote the memoir Plum Thickets and Field Daisies about growing up in Brooklyn. The Swank Social Club was later established on the site of the former Second Ward High School.
References
- Funk, Tim (January 18, 2019). "Brooklyn was the center of black life in Charlotte. Until the bulldozers arrived." Charlotte Observer.
- Thomas, Nikki Lynn. "Research Guides: Historic Charlotte Neighborhoods: Brooklyn." Guides.library.uncc.edu.
- "Brooklyn Village: History." Brooklyn Village.
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, "The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Story: Second Ward High School."
