A few days ago, on January 18th, designs for a newly named McColl Park, at the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets, were revealed. Formerly known as Polk Park, the new park is named after retired Bank of America chairman and CEO Hugh McColl, Jr. Charlotte Center City Partners and the McColl Park Committee have retained Walter Hood, landscape architect, MacArthur Fellow, and Charlotte native, to design the park. The effort is in a long tradition of Charlotte leaders envisioning the future, partnering in a can-do way, and remaking the experience of the city.
In 2005, Michael Smith, president and CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners, wrote his first column for Charlotte Viewpoint entitled 'Center City: The Carolinas Hot Spot.' The first five years of the millennium were as about go-go as it gets in Charlotte. The economy was booming and everything seemed possible. Smith noted what was underway: a new Uptown Arena, ImaginOn, the EpiCentre, a Ritz Carlton, a possible NASCAR Hall of Fame. The only fly in the ointment: teens aggressively cruising the streets and rising concerns about public safety. Smith outlined the latest task force recommendations.
In this issue, you’ll also read another column from 2005 by then Mayor Patrick McCrory entitled 'Looking Back and Forward,' sharing how much Charlotte had progressed in ten years, but also his concerns about crime and corridor revitalization; a review of Novi Sad, a novel by Jeff Jackson, our Arts & Culture editor, by Bryan Reed; a looking glass story called 'The Two Alices' by Lynn Veach Sadler; and an artist gallery by Nathaniel Rogers.
In addition, as always in this newsletter, you’ll see links to four of our PDF magazines from previous years that include lead columns from Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Todd Mansfield, Cyndee Patterson, and Pat Mumford.
To change and what endures,
Mark Peres
Charlotte Viewpoint Founder
The Charlotte Center Founder & Executive Director
