Carolinian

harlotte, located in Mecklenburg County, is the largest city in North Carolina. The area was first settled in 1755 when Thomas Polk, uncle of future United States President James K. Polk, built a residence at the intersection of two American Indian trading paths between the Yadkin and Catawba Rivers, the north south route being part of the Great Wagon Road leading from Pennsylvania into the North Carolina foothills. Charlotte was named in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Streilitz, who had become Queen Consort of King George III of England the year before the city’s founding in 1768; today, the city is well-known by its nickname—the “Queen City.”

Great American Stations

ocated approximately two miles northeast of downtown in the busy Norfolk Southern rail yard, the current Charlotte station was built for the Southern Railway in 1962 to house passenger service functions and railroad division offices. A new station was needed due to a grade-separation project that required the relocation of various railroad facilities.

Designed by local architectural firm Walter Hook Associates, Inc., the structure was meant to be quickly erected and therefore included the use of an exposed precast concrete framing system. A mail building (freight depot) and boiler house were constructed to the northeast as part of the station project.

In addition to the framing components, the exterior incorporates dark brown brick and large, angled precast concrete panels covered in pebble-dash. Interspersed with these heavy, solid elements are walls of glass, which coupled with clerestory windows beneath the roof, allow ample natural light to flood the waiting room. Due to the clerestory windows, from a distance, the roof almost seems to float above the building.

In keeping with the aesthetics of mid-century modern architecture, the station has minimal applied ornamentation. Rather, the materials themselves are the main decorative elements, with the textured pebble-dash panels featuring prominently in the design of the exterior and interior. Inside, terrazzo floors are durable yet elegant, appropriate for a high-traffic area.

Great American Stations