View renderings: The definitive guide to Charlotte’s changing skyline

Projects like Ally Center and Legacy Union will bring our city’s shining crown of buildings closer to the edge of Uptown, and projects like Spectrum Southend and Portman South End will push it past those boundaries.

A few weeks back, Lincoln Harris hoisted the last piece of the pyramidal crown topping Legacy Union, placing it among the giants of Uptown as the fourth-tallest building in the city and state.

This year we will also gain a new tallest hotel, Intercontinental at Belk Place, wrestling away the title of “tallest in the state” from AC Hotel, which was completed in 2018.

First National Bank, will expand the skyline toward Graham Street, looming high above the grandstands of BB&T Stadium.

And Market 42 will pierce the sky, helping fill in the chasm between “The Odell Building” and Hearst Tower.

In short, the skyline will change a lot in 2019. Here’s an overview.

Header photo by Jim Parks/Land’s End Photos. Graphic by Clayton Sealey

UPTOWN

A. JW Marriott

• Height: Around 280 feet
• Floors: 22
• Use: Hotel
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: Charlotte’s latest luxury hotel. 381 Rooms beautifully designed by HKS. Includes another signature rooftop entertainment opportunity.

B. Ally Charlotte Center

• Height: Around 380 feet
• Floors: 26
• Use: Office
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: This project designed by Little and developed by Crescent is a half dozen years in the making. Steel is around 10 floors right now.

C. Legacy Union 1 & 2

• Height: Legacy Union 1: 632 feet, Legacy Union 2: 290 feet

• Floors: Legacy Union 1: 33 floors, Legacy Union 2: 18 floors
• Use: Office
• Completion Date: 2019, 2020
• Fun Fact: These two towers are just the beginning for Legacy Union, which is turning out better than I had expected. I’d expect easily 4-5 more towers, 2 residential, 1 office and 1-2 hotel, and a large retail podium in the future.

D. Duke Energy Center 2

• Height: 500-750 feet
• Floors: 36-48 floors
• Use: Office
• Completion Date: 2022-23
• Fun Fact: The announced height is 39 floors, but I suspect that could change depending on what decisions Duke makes with PNG and Santee Cooper. Otherwise, not a lot is known about this project at this time, but it’s likely it will be among the tallest five or six buildings in Charlotte. We are hoping that Duke/Childress Klein/tvsdesign think outside the box; we want to see some curves on this building.

E. Future Convention Center Hotel

• Height: 400-525 feet
• Floors: 30-45 floors
• Use: Hotel
• Completion Date: ?
• Fun Fact: Word is that this project has stalled, but if the right opportunity came along, whether it be an investor or major event like the Super Bowl, I think it could pick back up.

F. Moxy Hotel

• Height: 230 feet
• Floors: 20 floors
• Use: Hotel
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: It will be Charlotte’s second pink building, joining The Arlington in South End. Neat.

G. FNB Tower

• Height: 365 feet
• Floors: 29 floors
• Use: Office and Residential
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: This will be Charlotte’s first commercial high-rise topped with apartments.

H. Federal Courthouse Expansion

• Height: 150 feet
• Floors: 8 floors
• Use: Government
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: You might eventually have jury duty here.

I. 500 W. Trade

• Height:180 feet
• Floors: 14 floors
• Use: Residential
• Completion Date: 2022?
• Fun Fact: This replaces the James K. Polk Building, a historical building that all Charlotteans should lament losing. Not sure if this one will make the cut this development cycle, but the multifamily market keeps surprising lots of industry insiders.

J. Grand Bohemian

• Height:186 feet
• Floors: 16 floors
• Use: Hotel
• Completion Date: 2020
• Fun Fact: This cool new boutique hotel will have ample rooftop entertainment space. 250 luxuriously appointed rooms.

K. Intercontinental Hotel

• Height: 420 feet
• Floors: 32 floors
• Use: Hotel
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: This will be the new tallest hotel in Charlotte (and all of North Carolina). It’s being built on top of the city’s oldest remaining theatre, Carolina Theatre.

L. Future Spirit Square

• Height: TBD
• Floors: TBD
• Use: Hotel, Residential, Office, Retail
• Completion Date: TBD
• Fun Fact: Nothing of note yet, but we expect a lot of out of the incredible roster of companies vying for this land. Expecting at least 3-4 high rises between 18-25 floors.

M. Homewood Suites

• Height: 160
• Floors: 13
• Use: Hotel
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: Will be built into a small nook on the property being developed for Market 42. Doubt it will be remarkable architecturally.

N. Market 42

• Height: 384 feet
• Floors: 33 floors
• Use: Residential
• Completion Date: 2020/21
• Fun Fact: Charlotte’s first yellow accented tower will activate First Ward Park

O. 10 Tryon

• Height: Building 1: around 190 feet, Building 2: around 130 feet (likely changing)
• Floors: 14 floors and 10 floors (likely changing)
• Use: Office (likely changing back to Hotel & Office)
• Completion Date: 2021/22
• Fun Fact: This project seems stalled, but plenty is still happening behind the scenes. Hopefully we hear more about the promised Publix and the rest of the mixed use project soon.

P. 550 Uptown

• Height: 252 feet
• Floors: 20 floors
• Use: Residential
• Completion Date: 2019
• Fun Fact: This building will be completed very soon, and it’s at least the most interesting looking building we’ve gotten this development cycle. Formerly an exit ramp.

Q. Home2Suites

• Height: 120 feet
• Floors: 10 floors
• Use: Hotel
• Completion Date: 2019
• Fun Fact: Hard to believe that 10 years ago this was a highway interchange, will add more hotel rooms and retail to stonewall.

R. Even Hotel

• Height: 120 feet
• Floors: 10 floors
• Use: Hotel
• Completion Date: 2019
• Fun Fact: Each room will be hoisted into place pre-built, like Legos.

JUST OUTSIDE UPTOWN

S. Portman SouthEnd

• Height: 240 feet
• Floors: 17 floors
• Use: Office
• Completion Date: 2021/22
• Fun Fact: This one is in rezoning now. Renderings shown in a recent community meeting show a rust colored building with lots of glass and lots of retail. Would be a great addition just across the tracks from Atherton.

T. Spectrum SouthEnd

• Height: Office Tower 1 & 2: 170 feet, Hotel Tower: zoned up to 250 feet
• Floors: 9 floors and up to 20 floors
• Use: Office, Hotel
• Completion Date: 2019/20
• Fun Fact: My favorite new project in Charlotte. It bridges a big gap between Uptown and South End and will provide more pedestrian space.

U. Common Square

• Height: 150 feet
• Floors: 8 floors
• Use: Hotel/Residential and Office
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: Very cool new development on the corner of West Blvd and S. Tryon. This will replace the current Sauceman’s BBQ Restaurant and adjacent businesses. This building, fronting the future Wilmore Centennial Park, should be renamed Wilmore Square to pay homage to the neighborhood it will rise in.

V. NAI Tower

• Height: 299 feet
• Floors: 20 floors
• Use: Office & eventually a hotel
• Completion Date: 2021
• Fun Fact: Elizabeth/Midtown’s first true high rise. I’m not confident this one gets built, but it’s a great looking tower.

W. The Rail Yard

• Height: 141 feet
• Floors: 8 floors
• Use: Office
• Completion Date: 2019
• Fun Fact: My favorite project wrapping up in 2019. Architecture pays homage to South End more than any other development built in the past decade.

X. Dimensional Place

• Height: 176 feet
• Floors: 10 floors
• Use: Office
• Completion Date: 2019
• Fun Fact: Previously home to Common Market & the Food Truck Friday lot. This sandstone and metal building opens this year and will be the East Coast hub of Dimensional Fund Advisors.

Y. Hawkins Tower

• Height: 176 feet
• Floors: 13 floors
• Use: Residential
• Completion Date: 2020
• Fun Fact: The Design Center’s first high rise building, and likely not the last.