November 12, 2024
The Revitalization of Charlotte’s Historic West End
An historic Black community in Charlotte, North Carolina, is undergoing a dramatic transformation.
During the first half of the 20th century, African Americans established neighborhoods like Biddleville and Greenville, which quickly developed into a thriving cultural and economic hub. This area, now known as the West End, blossomed into a beacon for Black-owned businesses and is home to Johnson C. Smith University, one of the oldest HBCUs in the country. However, beginning in the 1960s, urban renewal and the development of Interstates 277 and 77 razed these neighborhoods or cut them off from the rest of the city, reports Charlotte Magazine. Subsequently, the area faced decades of disinvestment, systemic disparities, and the pressure of gentrification, forcing some long-time residents to be displaced.
Today, Black Charlotteans, activists, and entrepreneurs are leading a concerted effort to restore West End’s commercial area along Beatties Ford Road to the center of Black business and opportunity that it once was.
“The people who built this community did so with insurmountable odds,” Winston Robinson, a Charlotte native and community leader who resides in the historic community, tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “The Westside is my home,” he says, referring to the name that natives and older Charlotte locals call the area. “West End,” he explains, recently gained popularity over the last decade from a branding campaign.
In 2020, Robinson founded the Applesauce Group, a nonprofit dedicated to organizing community events in the West End and providing residents with access to resources and economic empowerment.
“This isn’t some relic of the past being revived—it’s a living, breathing community with ongoing vitality. Our work, through events like ‘A Vibe Called Fresh’ and ‘The Great Westside Fish Fry,’ is about creating moments where people can connect to that cultural richness, where Black joy is celebrated, and where the community can see its own greatness reflected,” he says. “We’re not just part of the revitalization—we’re here to keep the story going.”
In addition to preserving the history, Robinson and other community advocates are dedicated to amplifying the voices of those who live and work along the Beatties Ford Road corridor, a historically Black community north of uptown and anchored by Johnson C. Smith University.
“The work I do there feels more like duty or stewardship. I owe so much to the legacy of this community, and my contribution is the small tax I pay for having the privilege of calling it home,” he says. “The work we do with Applesauce Group is about sparking energy and telling the story of us, the Westside, the people who make the historic Beatties Ford corridor special.”
Preserving the West End Legacy
The West End’s strategic location—adjacent to uptown Charlotte and near the expanding rail lines—has made it a hotbed for investment and real estate development. Major projects, including mixed-use buildings, new housing, and tech-driven startups, have begun to change the landscape. While the booming commercial and residential growth could bring significant economic opportunities, activists and advocacy groups are rallying to ensure that Black residents are not only preserved in this transformation but positioned to benefit from it. Organizations like the West End Business Development Association are advocating for targeted programs that give Black-owned businesses priority in leasing opportunities as well as grants and incentives to spur new ventures.
“There’s a vast lack of resourcing, a lack of nurturing,” Robinson says. Yet, many original structures remain in the neighborhood, preserving authenticity in the community. “A lot of the elements on the Westside have remained the same for decades. However, that also attributes to the charm.”
One of the landmark sites in West End includes The Excelsior Club, a former Black nightclub dating back to 1944. Meanwhile, notable figures like J. Charles Jones and Dorothy Counts call the community home.
Dianna Ward, a serial entrepreneur and real estate investor who grew up in the West End, is also dedicated to preserving the community’s rich legacy. In addition to being the founder and CEO of Charlotte NC Tours, she is fueling capital commercial properties and empowering other Black entrepreneurs. In 2019, she purchased and redeveloped a building on Rozzelles Ferry Road near Johnson C. Smith University that houses Rita’s Italian Ice and Jet’s Pizza, two popular Black-owned shops. She and her business partners have also revitalized a string of buildings along Beatties Ford Road.
Furthermore, multiple resident-led organizations, with the support of contributors like the Knight Foundation, are working to prevent residential displacement. Ward pointed to Alesha Brown, Esq., a civil rights attorney who’s played a pivotal role in protecting Black locals—many of whom are elderly and living on a fixed income—from displacement and predatory property investors. Through her nonprofit, For The Struggle, she is helping to reduce the rate of gentrification across Charlotte.
“[Alesha] stepped in and started [telling] people [to] stop selling your houses, put them in a trust, create generational wealth,” Ward tells BE. “In this neighborhood, there is some gentrification, but it’s slowed [down] because these forces are working together to help people realize they’re sitting on gold mines.”
Despite the growth and development in Charlotte, Ward says plenty of Black businesses are thriving in the West End.
“There are some people who’ve been there for 25 to 30 years doing business,” she says. Not only do they own businesses, but they also live, contribute, and pray in the community as well. “They own their businesses there, they go to church there, they know the people that they serve.”
“My friend, Bernetta Powell, owns West End Seafood. You can go there, you can get some of the best fried fish you will ever eat,” she says. “Once you take one bite, you’re going to want sit down and finish it right there. She’s been open for 25 years. She owns her building. She is a successful West End story. We need to celebrate her.”
Ward also highlighted Pauline’s Tea Bar owned by a Black woman who has two locations on the West Side.
“Pauline’s tea bar. We’re gonna go have tea at a tea bar, a Black female-owned tea bar. She has two locations. That’s on the west side. Go have tea. Her grandmother grew tea, so she decided to open a tea bar.”
She continues, “There’s a woman named Cherise who owns Archive Coffee. It is a Black-female-owned coffee shop and bookstore.” Located in the Beatties Ford Rd corridor, is a popular cultural hub dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history, art, and storytelling of Black people.
“You can already come and get one of the most beautiful wedding dresses you’ll ever wear at Mackin’s Bridal Boutique owned by two women, one of which went to Johnson C. Smith University and the other one studied design in London.”
Ward also noted the nightlight attractions, pointing to the Members Only Social Club and West End Tavern. That’s “a hotspot for young people.” Also, she notes, activist J’Tanya Adams, founder of Historic West End Partners, owns a building that includes a popular jazz club.
The Future of the West End
Ward envisions a very bright future for the West End and projects that it will continue to grow into a bustling community.
“It’s going to be fabulous. You’re going to want to come and experience the entertainment that’s going to be taking place on the historic West End. You’re going to want to come over and walk on JCSU’s campus and experience the historic buildings that aren’t necessarily standing anywhere else in Charlotte,” she said. “We’ve got historic buildings still standing—a nice collection of historic buildings still standing on the Johnson C. Smith campus,” she notes.
Nevertheless, as development continues, the fight for equitable access to wealth in the Historic West End remains critical. Black Charlotteans, who have long contributed to the city’s cultural and economic fabric, must be at the center of its rebirth.
“The Westside isn’t just a place on the map; it’s a space where history, pride, and culture intersect. This isn’t some relic of the past being revived—it’s a living, breathing community with ongoing vitality,” says Robinson.
“We’re not just part of the revitalization—we’re here to keep the story going.”
Discover more of Charlotte’s vibrant neighborhoods and start planning your trip at charlottesgotalot.com
Editors’ Note: This article was updated on November 22. A previous version referenced Charlotte’s Historic West End as the “’Black Wall Street’” of Queen City.”
That moniker was more notably associated with McDowell St. in the former Brooklyn community located in uptown Charlotte and disbanded via Urban Renewal in the 1960s. Beatties Ford Rd. (the primary thoroughfare on the Westside) is often referred to as “The River Nile” to long-time Black residents throughout Charlotte to metaphorically represent the long stretch that sustains Black life.
