Mecklenburg County Courthouse

As Charlotte began to grow in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries into one of the largest and most important urban centers in the Carolinas, a large part of Mecklenburg County remained rural.  The urban population wanted a building that represented the ever-growing city; however, the rural population did not want to move the current courthouse.  The urban population finally won and in 1925 the Board of County Commissioners voted unamimously to construct the new courthouse next to the new City Hall (designed by Charles C. Hook).  Louis Asbury was chosen quickly to design the building and construction began shortly thereafter.  Construction was completed in January of 1928 and the building was dedicated on March 10, 1928.  The same citizens that had opposed the building turned out to the dedication to tour the courthouses, offices, meeting rooms, and rooftop jail. (1)

_________________________________________________ 

1. "Survey and Research Report on the Mecklenburg County Courthouse," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, Accessed December 10, 2012. http://www.cmhpf.org.