The History

History

 
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The Original Architect

Opened in 1929, the church was designed by Louis Asbury, one of Charlotte’s celebrated pre-World War II architects inspired by Neoclassical and Gothic design. Asbury was one of Charlotte's first architects and, as the first North Carolina member of the American Institute of Architects, had a significant impact on the development of the organization in North Carolina.

 
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A Place for a Community

Featuring an impressive use of brick for a 1920s revivalist style and numerous stained-glass windows, the church has been considered Villa Heights’ most distinctive building. It continued to serve as place of worship owned by the A.R.P. until 1968 when the building was purchased for use by the Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church. According to a recent historical survey, this transfer in ownership reflected the changing demographics of Villa Heights in the mid-century period as Villa Heights became a growing community for middle-class African American families.

Following the construction of a new sanctuary on Tom Hunter Road in 2000, the Parkwood Institutional C.M.E. congregation used the church in Villa Heights as a satellite site until 2015. For more information on the history of the church, consult the 2021 survey prepared for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission:

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The Developer

This project hits close to home for the developer, Eid Refaey of A and E Rental Homes, LLC.  In 2006, Eid moved to Union Street just a few blocks away from this church in Villa Heights.  That small bungalow was the first renovation he undertook, a hobby which quickly becoming his passion and life’s work.  Eid has seen the neighborhood grow and change over the years and is honored to restore this beautiful building into an icon of the neighborhood once again.

The Architect

From the project’s onset the owners and design team have striven to respect the rich bones and detail of the original design. Eighteen apartments of various sizes and configurations are housed within the church’s 3 floors. Special care has been taken to repair the beautiful stained glass windows. Those select windows removed from the sanctuary have been used to create a dynamic open air pavilion on site. Suspended from the exterior’s masonry piers and inspired by historic ecclesiastical pendants are steel “lanterns” which cloak the structure’s mechanical units. This transformation from vacated church to apartment homes has ensured a continued life for this neighborhood cornerstone.