ECA 4-06

Nancy Albert

Matthew Ipsan

J.T. Petersen

Russell Crandall

Terry Lett

Todd Rubenson

Michelle Dagenhart

Tony Miller

Melanie Sizemore

Dianna Desaulniers

Linda Nash

Kris Solow

Babak Emadi

Maya Packard

Peter Tart

Jean Galloway

Ruffin Pearce

Roxie Towns

newsletter 564 Oakland Avenue 28204 704 789 1255 noalbert@carolina.rr.com traffic/block captain 2338 Greenway Avenue 28204 704 894 2283 rucrandall@davidson.edu social 1925 Bay Street 28204 704 335 0280 mdagenhart@carolina.rr.com membership 2222 Greenway Avenue 28204 704 236 4286 print_it@bellsouth.net HENF/zoning/trees 725 Clement Avenue 28204 704 334 1648 babak@urbana-architecture.com ECA treasurer 2101 East 5th Street 28204 704 377 3936 jgalloway@firsttrustinc.com

communications 417 Ridgeway Avenue 28204 704 728 6364 matthewiipsan@yahoo.com social 2107 Greenway Avenue 28204 704 377 0052 terrylett@bellsouth.net zoning 2309 Kenmore Avenue 28204 704 377 8500 tonymiller@millerarchitecture.com HENF/block captain 1921 East 9th Street 28204 704 332 4808 nashfamily1@bellsouth.net social 2400 East 5th Street 28204 704 334 2196 mpackard@carolina.rr.com zoning 2121 Greenway Avenue 28204 704 331 4989 rpearce@wcsr.com

Goodbye to an old friend The Athens Diner, known for its 24 hour service, and frequented by an amazingly wide segment of the city’s populace, closed on September 30. The land it sits on is owned by Central Piedmont Community College, and when the restaurant’s lease was up the college refused to renew it, shocking many customers of the more than 50-year-old diner. Its original

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advertising/business/block captain 712 Louise Avenue, Suite 102 28204 704 340 2529 naturesponds@bellsouth.net beautification 509 Louise Avenue 28204 704 386 4401 todd.rubenson@bankofamerica.com ECA president 2309 Vail Avenue 28207 704 335 0909 msizemore@realindex.com beautification 2109 East 5th Street 28204 704 806 4456 ksolow@carolina.rr.com zoning 1517 East 8th Street 28204 704 372 4147 petart@carolina.rr.com zoning/beautification 1512 East 8th Street 28204 704 342 1000 janeroxi@bellsouth.net

owner, the late Bill Mantis who moved to Charlotte from Greece with wife and children, passed the business on to his son-in-law. Demolition will begin shortly. The site will be used temporarily for parking and eventually the college, which is in the midst of a period of expansion, will build there.—banner photo of Athens Diner and text by Nancy Albert, front cover art by Little Shiva

Letter from the prez expanding the tree canopy,

by Melanie Sizemore, community development, newly elected President of the ECA traffic woes, or just wanting to be more involved in your New faces arrive every day neighborhood, join us for one to reside in Elizabeth; if or more board meetings as you’re unfamiliar with the the door is always open. We neighborhood’s history, there meet the second Tuesday of are a host of individuals willing each month at the Hawthorne to share the stories, both Recreation Center at 6:30 serious and fanciful, about pm. If you want to be included Elizabeth and its evolution. on the agenda, just call me I encourage you to visit the and I’ll add you to the list for website and blog (see LizLinx the next meeting. The mood on page 9 of this newsletter) is informal and we can have for information about the heated discussions as well as community’s past and present, humorous moments. So exercise and attend the ECA monthly your inquisitive side and join us board meetings to see what at a meeting, contact us or just we’re attempting to create explore all that Elizabeth has to for the future. In addition, you offer. It’s a great neighborhood can never tell what you’ll learn and is getting better every day. or what interesting characters you may meet at one of the The American ECA board meetings.

FourSquare in Elizabeth The Elizabeth Community

by Peter Tart Association strives to meet The Elizabeth neighborhood the needs of all the members derives much of it’s charm of our neighborhood and to and character from the rich work cooperatively with the diversity of housing styles that adjoining neighborhoods compose our streetscapes. and government entities These styles, although found in which have an impact on our many of this country’s turn-ofcommunity. Membership and the-century suburbs, consist of involvement in the ECA have unique characteristics such as been on the increase in recent overall form, cladding materials, years, however we are always window and door types, porch interested in knowing more shapes, etc. that compose our about everyone’s concerns neighborhood and contribute and expectations for the future. to the unique quality of our Whether your interest lies in area. As we notice increased new retail developments for the numbers of renovations and area, exterminating the dreaded additions within Elizabeth, cankerworms, proposed real it seems timely to consider estate development, historical the qualities that bring this preservation, social activities,

deadline for spring 07:

January 29th Got a story to share?

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richness to our structures, so that we can continue the critical diversity we’re fortunate to have inherited.

This article is the first in a series of reviews of architectural styles common in the Elizabeth community and is intended to help illuminate the basic characteristics of individual buildings, and ultimately the valuable differences within our community. Although these studies contribute to the understanding of our historic structures and provide a foundation by which to restore or expand our homes, it should not be interpreted as a prescription for building in the 21st century. Once the overall style structure becomes clear, it is wholly possible to consider contemporary solutions to contemporary living needs.

The American FourSquare style of residential architecture enjoyed a popularity in American suburbs from 1890 thru 1935 and is considered by many as the first truly American home, not defined in form by any European style. Sometimes known as “American Basic” or the “Basic Box” this style was favored for its simplicity, flexibility and efficiency, being roughly square in plan and cubic in form. The name “FourSquare” refers to the basic layout of one room in each corner and essentially no traditional corridor — each room being

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directly accessible to the next.

The home is traditionally either 1-story, 2 stories or 2 1/2 stories and, unlike other homes, derived its finer detailing from other styles, notably Colonial, Craftsman, Arts & Crafts, and Prairie styles. The popularity of the FourSquare resulted from being economical to build, more informal and comfortable in its simplicity relative to the previously widespread Victorian, and in part by the availability of “kit” houses, most ordered from Sears Roebuck, among others.

As a matter of function there is usually a single or multiple roof dormers with either vents or windows. Chimneys are usually located either internally or on one or both of the sides, always simple in form.

Cladding typically consists of brick, lapped siding or cedar shakes, and in the case of wood cladding there was often a material change near the sills of the second floor windows.

Façade composition

The overall front elevation is formally balanced but not symmetrical, usually with the In addition to its familiar cubic entry offset to one side. While shape, the FourSquare typically the upper windows seem to has a pyramidal (hipped) adhere to a composition of roof and broad overhangs. halves, the lower entry door There is usually a full-width (leading to foyer) and adjoining porch, detailed with columns, front window group (providing friezes, railings, etc. in the light to the parlor or living styles mentioned above, and room) are not necessarily usually simple detailing and centered below the upper broad windows, or window windows. Due to the deep, full groupings. Also common are width porch which claims the porches that return down the lower fenestration as part of side of the home to either its local composition, the lack access a side, informal door, of alignment with the upper or to access the rear yard. Not windows is not necessary and as frequently, a FourSquare allows flexibility in laying out may be encountered with a the floor plan on each floor. short, colonial style porch, not Main roofs are pitched typically across the entire front. The between 6:12 to 10:12, and front elevation, while roughly porch roofs will usually be symmetrical, most often has pitched at 2:12 to 6:12 as an offset entry door reflecting limited by upper windows, and the quartered room layout usually hipped. Roof dormers of the plan. Accent windows on the 1-story and 2-story are typically broader than Simple FourSquare are typically traditional units and those located centrally on the front facing the street are generally facing roof plane and visually unique in grouping or form. anchor the composition with

image supplied by Peter Tart

a central emphasis. There is sometimes a large, offset gabled form on the otherwise simple FourSquare that designated the offset entry below and is balanced with a smaller dormer, not centrally located. On the Articulated FourSquare, the roof dormer is used to balance the off-set projected house mass and is often not centrally located. Dormers may be gabled, hipped or shed type, matching the specific character of the home’s exterior detailing.

Fenestration

Doors in any style FourSquare will usually be of frame and panel construction with a large glass area with grided muntins or a single glass panel, often detailed with a 1 1/2” wide beveled border. Door widths are generally 3’-4” to 3’-8”, and heights roughly 7’-0”, and are usually constructed of oak or mahogany with a stain finish.

Regardless of which overlay style is used, the FourSquare derives much of its unique

character from its front window shapes and patterns. The side and rear windows are typically double-hung, with the upper windows matching the width of those below and either the same height or slightly shorter, or casement groupings.

Common sash patterns include 1-over-1, 8-over-1 grided, 10-over-1 grided, 4-over-1 vertical divisions or leaded glass pattern-over-1. While the side and rear windows are typically double hung, the the people pages

of higher education known primarily for its contribution to workforce development, took a great leap toward arts and communication training with this new 130,000-square-foot facility which was designed by architect Jeffery Dalzell of Little Diversified Architectural The Dale F. Halton Consulting. The 1,020 seat Theater, a new Halton Theater, named in performance space honor of Dale F. Halton in in Elizabeth recognition of her contribution

by Nancy Albert to the College, is located in A grand and somewhat the Overcash Center. CPCC controversial addition to the has produced performing arts Elizabeth neiborhood, Central events for over three decades.

Piedmont Community College’s Now, with this new venue, built Christa and Reece A. Overcash in the style of a 19th Century Performing Arts Center is opera house, the college’s located on King’s Drive theater, music and dance between between Fourth and productions have a state of Elizabeth Streets. The intent of the arts performance space. the college was that the facility The Overcash endowment will become a signature building, support the operations of the providing a magnificent entry center and provide scholarships to the college’s central campus and books to students with and a gateway to the Elizabeth financial needs. Using these district. CPCC, an institute new facilities, CPCC hopes to

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image supplied by Peter Tart

front windows are typically wide in proportion and more articulated than the others and are either placed to one side, balancing with the enrty door, or on either side of the door in symmetry. The sashes may be either asymmetrical (short upper sash with high lower, operable sash), single sash with integrated transom, or simple double-hung at 46” to 60” wide. Roof elements such as dormers or partial gables are always present and typically have square or horizontally oriented windows which may have a simple pattern or diamond pattern. Diamond pattern windows or stained glass windows can occur at stair landings, powder rooms, etc..

Landings may also have special windows in a projected bay.

educate generations of arts professionals. The facility has a 2,500 square foot stage, a full fly house, an orchestra pit that holds up to forty instrumentalists and an acoustical orchestra shell.

The stage sports an 18’ by 24’ projection screen and a surround sound system for film and video presentations.

The building has scenery and costume shops and a 2000 square foot rehearsal hall. As well as the main theater, the facility contains a 140-seat recital hall featuring smartclassroom capabilities and the Elizabeth Ross Gallery, which displays exhibits by faculty and student artists as well as touring exhibits and works from the College’s collection.

The center, which serves as the home for the college’s arts programs, including the visual arts, contains instructional studios, classrooms and seminar rooms as well as faculty

offices. In addition, the center houses the college’s student life programs, meeting spaces for student organizations and clubs, campus ministry and counseling offices, and other student support services. A large student commons area provides food services, lounges, and meeting space.

When asked to provide some background on the design of the theater, architect Jeffery Danzell responded:

When asked about the working relationship between his firm and the college, he replied: “Within the bounds of the master plan, good taste, requirements of the program, and budget, we were fully supported by CPCC. The final design looks very much like our earliest sketches of this building in the master plan.

The front portico was conceived as a box with a proscenium opening, a box from which

monumental columns step forward to greet and shelter those arriving for a night at the theater… or for an education.

The college conceived the Overcash Performing Arts Center as a communityfriendly facility. Year-round programming includes musical theater productions, jazz and classical concerts, literary programs as well many events geared toward families such as children’s theater and dance performances.

8k race or not this spring?

by Michelle Dagenhart The ECA and our prior race committee have been trying to find someone to lead the effort on the Big E 8K Road Race, usually held in March. To date, no one has stepped forward to chair the committee or serve as volunteers on the committee.

photo by Nancy Albert

“The design evolved from CPCC President Dr. Tony Zeiss’s vision to transform the face that CPCC was presenting to the city it served. We (Little) worked with CPCC’s administration on the master plan for the central campus and came to understand that the transformation they were looking for was specifically “collegiate, “ in the tradition

of buildings of the academic Georgian style. From our own college and university practice, we had come to feel that this architectural language was only successfully used if it was not abstracted, or interpreted through a filter of modernism, but done faithfully. So the building has an architectural order, with classical ornament done correctly and fully.”

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It looks like the race will be cancelled for 2007 unless someone comes out of the woodwork to rescue it. We are considering replacing the race with a family festival or some other event in Independence Park. I’ll be hosting an idea meeting to discuss thoughts on our plans for a spring event.

Anyone interested in sharing his or her thoughts, ideas, and effort is invited to my home at 1925 Bay Street on Wednesday, January 3rd at 7pm. All ideas are welcome! If you can’t make the meeting, you can e-mail me at mdagenhart@carolina.rr.com with any ideas or input you would like to share.

ECA committee work

by Nancy Albert The various committees of the Elizabeth Community Association work in a variety of ways to protect the quality of life in the neighborhood.

In upcoming issues of the newsletter I hope to highlight some of this work.

One of the most active is the zoning committee, which has been working with potential rezoning petitioners for the Roy White properties along 7th Street and the David Krug properties at the corner of 7th and Caswell. Both plan to develop predominately residential units with some retail/office space. Another rezoning petitions the committee looked at during the past year was:

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Rezoning Petition 2005-092 Whole Foods

Last party of the year

by Michelle Dagenhart

It’s hard to believe another year has passed. Our last social event of the calendar year is here, the holiday party. The Petitioner: Grubb Properties party this year will be held on Friday, December 8th from The petitioner requests a 7 to 10pm. Jane and Roxie rezoning to mixed use to greater increase allowed density Towns have graciously agreed to host again this year in their on the block. The project beautiful home at 1512 East includes an anchor, Whole 8th Street.

Foods, facing 4th Street, an adjoining parking deck facing The holiday party is for 4th Street, approx. 3 stories of everyone who lives in Elizabeth retail/office facing Hawthorne or has a business in Elizabeth. and Elizabeth Avenue and a If you’re a new or old neighbor, future condo/hotel tower of single or couple, owner or up to 20 stories above the renter, resident or business parking deck facing 4th Street. owner, you are welcome.

The ECA zoning committee has Come for a few minutes or met with the petitioner. The stay a while, whatever fits committee requested that the into your evening plans. We petitioner preserve space for do recommend that you find maturing trees by providing a sitter for your children, as for or burying overhead utility this event is for adults. The lines and working with CATS on ECA will provide wine, beer, overhead trolley lines, keeping beverages and a spiral ham eyelevel storefront on all served with rolls. No RSVP is streets, providing architectural needed. Guests are asked to treatment to the parking deck bring an appetizer or dessert to facing 4th street. The petitioner share. Your dish should serve did not have commitments for approximately 10-12 people the ECA Board at the October and be served on a disposable meeting, so no affirmative vote plate or platter. If you know has been taken. you will be coming late in the If you’d you like to know more evening, it would be helpful if about what this and other ECA you drop your dish earlier in the day. A waiter will be at the committees are doing, go to Towns home an hour before the news section of the ECA the party to accept early dishes. website listed in LizLinx on Please call Michelle Dagenhart page 5 of this newsletter. The at 704-335-0280 or Maya site was recently redesigned Packard 704-334-2196 with

by Matthew Ipsan. any questions.

Approximately 3.07 acres located northwest of Hawthorne Lane and northeast of East. 4th Street

Introducing LizLinx

by Nancy Albert LizLinx is a new column in this newsletter where you’ll find websites of interest to the Elizabeth community.

We’ll always list our main ECA website and our blog, as well as other sites we think you’ll like.

Whether you’re new to the community or a longtime resident, you might be interested in finding out more about the history of our neighborhood and why it’s named Elizabeth. An excellent place to start is by reading the article written by Dr. Tom Hanchett of the Levine Museum of the New South that appears on the internet journal of the Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.

Though written a few years ago when the ultimate fate of the neighborhood was still in doubt, this is a most comprehensive history.

For the complete forty-two page essay illustrated with historic and contemporary images, go to LizLinx and check out the historic Elizabeth link.

Here are two paragraphs from Dr. Hanchett’s article to pique your interest.

“The story of the Elizabeth neighborhood begins with its transformation from rural farmland into a patchwork quilt of residential subdivisions. The first of these was the Highland Park Company’s original development along Elizabeth

Avenue. It was soon followed

by Piedmont Park, Oakhurst, Elizabeth Heights, and Rosemont. Before the streetcar allowed businessmen to commute from downtown jobs to suburban homes, farmers tilled the land on the rolling hillside that sloped down toward Little Sugar Creek.

In 1897, as the nation came out of the depression and Charlotte’s textile economy began to prosper, the pace of suburban development in the city picked up. Walter S. Alexander, a hard-driving developer and banker with his own Southern Real Estate, Loan and Trust Company, was now in control of the Highland Park Land Company. Alexander had the Highland Park concern donate a large block of land at the top of their hill to attract a Lutheran women’s college.

The institution was run by Reverend Charles B. King, sonin-law of tobacco magnate and Duke family associate Gerard S. Watts. Watts gave most of the cash to build an imposing two-story brick building at the head of the dirt road, and King named his school Elizabeth College in honor of Watts’ wife Anne Elizabeth Watts. Soon the hillside was known as “Elizabeth Hill” and the fledgling neighborhood officially became Elizabeth.

In October of 1897 the dirt road was rebuilt as a grand boulevard named Elizabeth Avenue.”

dum dee dum dum...

To see the sites, watch out for your dots and slashes.

Type web addresses into your browser exactly as printed here, but without the returns, of course.

This is not ad space, but if you know of a website that pertains to Elizabeth in a community service sort of way, please let us know so we can include it here.

Please mail the full web address to Nancy Albert, noalbert@carolina.rr.com.

----------------------------ECA website

www.elizabeth community.com Under the Water Tower

www.eliza-blog. blogspot.com historic Elizabeth

www.landmarkscommission .org/educationhistlist elizabeth.htm volunteer with the ECA

www.volunteermatch.org/ orgs/org37577.html CharMeck

www.charmeck.org NC government

www.nc.gov the people pages

Membership news

by Dianna Desaulniers

tree and Athens Diner photos by Nancy Albert

Watch for Project Greenway, Season 2, next fall. If you still want a tree, it’s not too late It’s been a great 30 year to call Beth Haenni at 704anniversary of the ECA. Our 332-7992. Special thanks to memberships are up over 200% Britta Crandall, Rick Solow of from last year and we have Solow Design Group, and The established strong committees Maplewood Company for their for projects going forward. We extra help have 40 members to welcome who are new to Elizabeth this Crawler news year. Did you know we have

by Dianne Desaulniers nineteen members that have lived in Elizabeth for more Elizabeth residents teamed up than 25 years with the longest with Plaza Midwood residents ECA member living here 38 to distribute cotton batting years? If you’re a long time and banding at the Plaza resident of Elizabeth, 30 Midwood Fall Crawl on October years or more, please let us 28th. Hands on Charlotte know and we’ll make you an banded Independence honorary member of the ECA. Park on November 18th.

If you’re not a member, go to The Cankerworm Initiative elizabethcommunity.com for Neighborhood Matching Grant the membership form. was awarded on November 13th to the Elizabeth Community Project Greenway, Association. The ECA purchased season one: a success!

Tanglefoot for the community

by Beth Haenni and we continue to need volunteers to help out with Wander down Greenway this project. Email print_it@ Avenue in December and you’ll bellsouth.net to schedule your see fifteen new maple trees. volunteer time. Please see the Or wait until next October, ECA website listed in LizLinx and you’ll really see them in for more details on the their full, red glory. Project cankerworm.

Greenway was a street wide tree planting to begin replacing Project schedule: All trees the sixty Greenway trees that banded by November 23rd were destroyed by Hurricane All trees have Tanglefoot Hugo in 1989. In the spirit of

by December 10th Elizabeth, old neighbors, new neighbors, and duplex owners All bands maintained alike purchased trees. Hats off throughout winter months, to our Greenway neighbors free from debris who are leading the charge to All bands removed restore the tree canopy and put by end of March the green back in Greenway.

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