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New hotel construction will preserve historic uptown landmark

By Blaine Tolison, wsoctv.com
By Blaine Tolison, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new hotel coming to uptown Charlotte on the site of the Carolina Theatre.

While the Intercontinental Hotel will be built on the site of the landmark Carolina Theatre at Belk Place, the project will preserve the theater's history.

The North Tryon Street theater is one of the few historic treasures left in Charlotte.

While it is falling apart, the new, ambitious plan will renovate and then incorporate the space into the base of the luxury hotel.

"It seemed like a perfect opportunity for us to step in, save this historic theatre, bring it back into its glory," said Laura Smith, the executive vice president for the Foundation for the Carolinas.

The grand theater dates back to the 1920s and it has hosted performers, including Elvis Presley.

The theater fell to pieces when it was closed in the 1970s.

The Foundation for the Carolinas is now preparing to preserve its history by bringing the theatre up to date and then crowing it with the Intercontinental Hotel.

"When people think about bringing relatives to downtown Charlotte, we want it to be North Tryon," Smith said.

She believes the towering project will jumpstart efforts to revitalize the corridor into an inviting destination.

Earlier in March, county leaders unveiled plans to turn the old library across the street into a large development with multiple high rises.

The plans include an upgraded library, new apartments and refurbished old buildings, such as the McGlohon Theatre.

The city is also developing a plan to transform the Discovery Place Museum across North Tryon Street.

"It's exciting, especially with a growing family, it's nice to see the community kind of come together and pull its resources together," Fady Sidhon, a father, said.

The renovated theater will host important community events, including town hall meetings. It will also cater to families by offering interesting films, comedians and Saturday morning cartoons.

"It seemed like a perfect opportunity for us to step in, save this historic theatre, bring it back into its glory and then really use that project as a catalyst to get the whole North Tryon plan really rolling," Smith said.

Construction is expected to start in May and it will take more than two years to finish the project.

The Foundation for the Carolinas has the air rights to the property, so they're partnering with the Intercontinental Hotel.

The foundation has raised more than $40 million to pay for the renovation of the historic theater.

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