Center City's Day of Delights

A good time could be had by those who dared venture uptown in Saturday's 92-degree heat.

"Saturday was the time to dance, paint, eat - even watch a display of guerrilla knitting - as thousands hit uptown Charlotte for a day of 92-degree fun. It began in the morning at the corner of Fifth and College streets, where a hand-knit cape appeared on the Queen Charlotte statue, in honor of Worldwide Knit in Public Day.

"For more than 200 years she's been wearing the same dress," said Amy Rogers of Charlotte. "She needed a makeover." So Rogers and three other knitting artists brought unfinished bits of various knit garments and stitched them together on the spot.

The result was a colorful cape for the queen and sweaters for her two statue dogs. "When things are dire in so many ways," said Rogers, "it's nice to have a creative outlet."

Painting the skyline

On North Tryon Street at the McColl Center for Visual Art, kids grabbed brushes to paint a mural of Charlotte's skyline. Artist Raymond Burton outlined the work on 40 huge plywood panels. Then anyone who stopped by could fill in skyscrapers and clouds.

When the mural is finished this month, it'll serve as the construction fence at Charlotte Area Transit's North Davidson bus facility at 12th and North Davidson streets. "It's something they can drive by and point to and say, 'Hey, I did that,'" said Cassandra Thompson, 36, who brought her son and nephew straight from football practice to paint.

'Foom, bop, open, open!'

Next door to the center, a jazz dance class was grooving to Kris Allen's "Live Like We're Dying" as part of an open house at N.C. Dance Theatre's new headquarters. "Let's give me a foom, bop, open, open!" shouted teacher Rachel Tucker, showing a string of funky moves to a class of 14 girls, boys and a few grown-ups.

Classes in jazz, ballet, hip-hop and more were free all afternoon at the new $11.5million Patricia McBride & Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance.

Taste of Charlotte

Outside on Tryon Street, Renee Love, 38, drank a Miller Lite at the Taste of Charlotte festival while posing for a picture with a street performer dressed as the silvery statue of a chef. The statue act was so good that Love jumped when she realized the chef was a real guy - 16-year-old Myers Park High student Nicholas de la Canal.

"It reminded me of the Tin Man," Love said, as she stood amid festival-goers who were sampling crab cakes, ribs and wings. "He's like a magical ghost," said her 11-year-old son, Joshua."

~ Source: CharlotteObserver.com

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Mint Museum Receives Grant from The Hearst Foundation

"The Mint Museum has received a $90,000 grant from The Hearst Foundation, Inc. to support educational programming for children and youth, as well as the teachers who instruct them in art. This is Hearst’s third grant to the Mint. The timing of this renewed support is particularly key as the institution is completing a major expansion project that entails opening a new uptown Charlotte facility.

The grant will help fund the myriad of classes, tours, student art exhibitions, workshops and numerous other learning activities that annually impact approximately 40,000 children and youth, many of whom are underserved and at-risk. The hundreds of teachers who benefit from enrichment opportunities at the Mint each year pass on what they learn to thousands of students, thereby bolstering the K-12 school art curriculum. The high-quality, inclusive educational opportunities offered by the museum are intrinsic to the institution’s mission and give young people a valuable introduction to the arts, instilling in many of them a lifelong interest in and understanding of art and craft.

Research has shown that students who participate in rigorous arts programs are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, and four times more likely to participate in a math or science fair, among other accomplishments. The Mint bolsters the arts in schools by serving as a parallel classroom for K-12 students and an educational resource for teachers. Its collections, exhibitions and programs encourage a thoughtful exploration of human culture that supplements classroom learning in ways that are accessible to students of various ages, socio-economic levels, ethnicities and learning styles.

“It is an honor to receive special recognition and support once more from a national enterprise such as the Hearst Foundation,” said Director of Education Cheryl Palmer. “This grant will help inaugurate the new Mint Museum Uptown and allow us to offer many more educational programs for children, families and schools.”

The Mint Museum Uptown will open in October 2010. One of the centerpieces of this facility will be a 1,845-square-foot Family Gallery, designed as a fun place for families with children ages 18 months to 10 years to feel comfortable with art as they explore activities together. It will incorporate works of art from the permanent collection and hands-on activities, and serve as a family-oriented introduction to the entire museum.

The new museum will feature two studio classrooms to expand the number of painting, drawing, mixed media and clay classes offered for teachers, teens, children and adults. In addition to the studio classrooms, there will be small classrooms on the two gallery levels in the new facility for simple hands-on activities with tour groups. A larger auditorium, educational technology in the galleries, reading areas, and flexible public spaces inside and outside on terraces will be important components to reach a broad audience.

The charitable goals of the Hearst Foundations reflect the philanthropic interests of William Randolph Hearst. The Hearst Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1945 by publisher/philanthropist William Randolph Hearst. In 1948, Mr. Hearst established the California Charities Foundation, renamed the William Randolph Hearst Foundation in 1951. Both Foundations are national private philanthropies operating independently from The Hearst Corporation.

The two Foundations are managed as one entity, sharing the same funding guidelines, leadership, and staff. Staff based in the headquarters in New York City review all proposals from organizations located east of the Mississippi River, and staff in the San Francisco office review requests from organizations west of the Mississippi." ~ Source: ArtDaily.org

For more news, contact Shane McDevitt, an Uptown Charlotte Realtor.

Fifth Third moving Headquarters to Uptown Charlotte

"Fifth Third Bancorp made it official this morning, announcing it is relocating its North Carolina headquarters to the 201 North Tryon Street building in uptown Charlotte. The building will be renamed the Fifth Third Center.

The bank plans to move in June and will relocate 250 employees to a little over 71,000 square feet in the building, with options for additional space, the bank announced during a press conference Wednesday at the Charlotte Chamber.

The bank, headed locally by Bob James, has been looking to move uptown for several years, dating back to the operation’s days as First Charter Corp. of Charlotte. Cincinnati-based Fifth Third acquired First Charter in 2008 for $1.1 billion.

The bank (NASDAQ:FITB) finally found a tenant for its 216,000-square-foot headquarters building on David Taylor Drive late last year, when appliance maker Electrolux AB announced it would move its headquarters to Charlotte. Electrolux is leasing the former First Charter Center with an option to buy.

At the time of the Electrolux announcement, Fifth Third said it was seeking up to 100,000 square feet uptown in a building that would allow for a prominent sign.

“The move of our North Carolina corporate headquarters to uptown reflects Fifth Third’s commitment to being one of the top banks in the Charlotte market,” James said Wednesday morning. “Moving to uptown will provide us with increased visibility and allow Fifth Third to take greater advantage of the business opportunities that come with being in the heart of the central business district.”

Mayor Anthony Foxx noted the recent recruiting of Electrolux’s headquarters to the University Research Park property now occupied by Fifth Third was the equivalent of an economic pick-and-roll move. “That created an opportunity for Fifth Third,” the mayor said.

Fifth Third considered three or four sites uptown before choosing the property owned by Bank of America Corp. It will house 250 of the bank’s 660 N.C. employees. No incentives were offered in the uptown headquarters relocation.

James also outlined aggressive growth plans for North Carolina at the announcement. Over the next three years, the bank plans to add more than 30 banking centers and more than 250 employees to compete in retail and small-business banking, mortgage lending and commercial banking, he said.

Mecklenburg County has issued building permits for Rodgers Builders Inc. to do a $1.75 million commercial upfit on behalf of Fifth Third at 201 North Tryon. The permits issued thus far indicate commercial alterations for 58,561 square feet on the 16th, 17th and 18th floors.

In 2006, First Charter planned to move its headquarters uptown but maintain an operations center in the University area. Back then, the bank had about 500 employees in the building but has since contracted, removing the need for an operations center.

“We’re pleased that Fifth Third is solidifying their commitment to Charlotte as their North Carolina headquarters and creating hundreds of new jobs for North Carolina,” said Bob Morgan, Charlotte Chamber president. “We look forward to their continued growth and engagement in the Charlotte community.”

Having a location on Tryon Street was important in the bank’s decision, James said. A stipulation of any deal to move required the property owner to allow Fifth Third to have significant presence with signs outside. Michael Smith, president of Charlotte Center City Partners, said Fifth Third’s move was eased by the recent surplus of commercial real estate uptown, a direct contrast to the historic low vacancy rates enjoyed several years ago." ~ Charlotte.BizJournals.com

Uptown Charlotte... The Perfect Place to spend Valentine's Day

Sure, a simple dinner-and-a-movie option could cover date night, but where's the fun in that? Here's some great date ideas for those looking for a date in uptown Charlotte, NC...

"The Art Approach
Art for the people" could well be the slogan of the funky North Davidson Street arts district. People wear art, make art, play art, and eat art. Park on the street for the gallery crawl that begins at 6 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of the month. The Center of the Earth Gallery anchors the egalitarian scene. Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires opened it two decades ago, and have since used their MFAs not only to create art, but also to paint and hammer their way through the abandoned buildings of the former mill village. Next to their gallery you'll find contemporary crafts at BEET, and on nearby Thirty-sixth Street are Green Rice Gallery (which rents out artists for parties) and Lark & Key, a good place to search for a memento. The best part is yet to come: dessert at Crêpe Cellar, the cozy French bistro meets British pub that offers sweet and savory crêpes. The small restaurant features wide glass windows, perfect for people watching on the busy street as you share a light and airy crêpe filled with luscious, sweet Nutella and topped with perfectly ripe bananas. Order a few cups of the French-press coffee and soak up the convivial atmosphere."

Ethnic Food Trail
If you're in the mood for some tasty bites and feeling adventurous, grab a date who shares your gastronomic curiosity and head out on a Saturday afternoon for some of the best food in the city. You can get an early start at Le's Café, a small shop inside the Asian Corner Mall selling banh mi, small Vietnamese sandwiches stuffed with meats, fresh vegetables, and herbs and served in crispy French bread. The number twelve, a warm steamed pork sandwich, is perfect for splitting, and with the day of feasting ahead, you'll want to start small. Next, take your date on a drive across town to Taqueria La Unica on Central Avenue. The restaurant's gorditas, featuring chunks of spicy pork with lettuce, peppers, and green hot sauce sandwiched by two small fried corn tortillas, is a tasty choice and perfect for heating things up. Finally, a sure way to impress your companion is a finale with pupusas at El Pulgarcito on Central Avenue. The hot and delicious pancakes made from corn flour dough are stuffed with meat, cheese, or beans and covered with a tangy slaw and hot sauce. Now, if only you had the energy for a trip together to the gym.

City Square
If your date is new to Charlotte, this downtown amble is sure to impress. By mixing art, history, and romance, you'll look cultured and dashing by the time it's finished. Start early on a Friday afternoon with a pocketful of change. Park in Fourth Ward, the city's Victorian neighborhood of turrets and quaint gardens, and walk to the Gold Rush Trolley stop on North Church Street. Take the free trolley (it's really a bus) to the 500 block of South Tryon, where you'll explore the city's spectacular new mingling of modern art and African American culture. Admire the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, with its quilt-inspired exterior (a tribute to the Underground Railroad) and enlist a stranger to take your picture under the towering mosaic Firebird in front of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. Stroll back to Fourth Ward—here's where the coins come in—and make wishes in the many fountains along the way. Tuck in to the neighborhood tavern, Alexander Michael's, to start dinner with fried pickles and a microbrew." ~ Source: CharlotteMagazine.com

Center City Continues to Grow

The heart of the City of Charlotte is one of the most exciting areas in the city... or even the country. The Center City is growing by leaps and bounds as it tries to keep up with the number of people moving to the area. There is currently $3.3 billion dollars worth of residential real estate underway or proposed, and the current Center City population is only 11,000 but will grow to 26,000 by 2012.

Highrises residential towers, luxury boutique residences, towhomes, single family homes, and lofts are all underway in the Center City offering a variety of living options.

Our Specialty - Condominums

Located in Uptown Charlotte, I specialize in Center City real estate, hence the name Center City Living. Our specialty is High Rise Condominiums.

Charlotte is unique in so many ways, one of which is the wide range of Condominiums that overlook the beautiful skyline, which pushes up every day!

Condominiums in Charlotte range from the upper $100,000's to $5 million with up to 52 stories. From one bedrooms to penthouses with private elevators.

Some of the highrises we are currently working with:

- The Arlington
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Finally On LinkedIn

I have finally stepped into the world of LinkedIn. I am fairly new to it but learning more all the time.

check me out on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/shanemcdevitt
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