See renderings: A new $7.8M plan would revive the Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford
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Rendering: Courtesy of City of Charlotte/Crosland Southeast/Kennedy Properties & Development
A local development team wants to spend $7.8 million to resurrect the historic Excelsior Club as a museum-restaurant that is a near replica of the shuttered 1944 venue.
Why it matters: The restoration would honor a rare piece of Charlotte's history and revive a space where Black Charlotteans once celebrated culture and engaged in civic dialogue.
Driving the news: Local investor Shawn Kennedy and Charlotte-based developer Crosland Southeast plan to demolish the unsalvageable, mold-infested building — if they can secure public funding. Their vision calls for a new two-story structure.
- The first floor will span roughly 2,500 square feet and have a dark, speakeasy aesthetic.
- Although not a feature of the original building, a 1,200-square-foot rooftop will showcase the property's skyline views. An original awning will be reinstalled.
The latest: Kennedy and Crosland Southeast's Tim Sittema pitched the project Tuesday to city council's economic development committee. They're asking the city and county to contribute $1.5 million each, with the remaining $4.8 million covered by the developer and foundations.
- Sittema acknowledged the project "makes no economic sense" due to the high construction costs compared to the rent they could charge.
- But, he added, the club's influence in Charlotte's Black community over the years was "invaluable."
The big picture: The reborn club would host community forums, performances, finance courses and a farmer's market — a vital offering in a food desert.
- The restaurant would engage in "second chance hiring" for people with criminal records.
Catch up quick: The Excelsior Club has remained vacant, falling into disrepair, since its 2016 closure.
- In its heyday, the club hosted performers such as Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and James Brown.
- "It was the center of Black life in the city," Kennedy said.
- In 2019, the club was listed as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust.
- Multiple efforts to honor the club's legacy through redevelopment have fallen through. The current owner, Kenwood Investments, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
By the numbers: Crosland Southeast — which is also working with the City of Charlotte on Eastland Yards, an 80-acre redevelopment at the site of the old Eastland Mall — estimates the total Excelsior project cost to be roughly $7.8 million, including the $1.7 million land acquisition, site improvements, building construction and outfitting the restaurant.
- However, the net operating income from the restaurant rent is only projected to be about $57,000, a roughly 0.73% return, Sittema said.
What they're saying: Council members were generally supportive of the funding request following Tuesday's presentation.
- "I think the ask is reasonable based on what we're trying to accomplish here in terms of revitalizing a corridor and bringing amenities," said District 2 council member Malcolm Graham. "You can't get a sit-down meal, a mixed drink or really socialize" in the Beatties Ford area.
What's next: Graham is pushing for a full council vote in October.
- Meanwhile, the site needs rezoning and historic approvals. The developers aim to break ground by late 2026 and finish by mid-2028.
The bottom line: "The unfortunate reality of today is it costs as much to build a building on a Beatties Ford or a Central Avenue as it does in SouthPark or in Ballantyne, but the rents are a fraction of those other places," Sittema said. "That's why it's so difficult to justify new investment in some of these corridors."
