Parks-Cramer Company Complex, Former
Why it's listed
Built in 1919 on a five-acre tract along South Boulevard in Charlotte's Dilworth industrial district, the former Parks-Cramer Company complex was constructed by E. H. Clement and Company for a firm that made industrial piping, heating, humidifiers and air-conditioning equipment, chiefly for cotton mills. The main brick manufacturing building has flat-roofed monitors and banks of steel-sash windows, and it was enlarged in the late 1920s and 1940s. A shipping and receiving building connects to it, and a rail spur from the Southern Railway serves both. A long prefabricated steel storage building stands on the west side of the spur. The company's products, based on inventions by textile engineer Stuart Warren Cramer, reduced yarn breakage and lint problems in mills across the South. The complex is regarded as one of the best surviving early factories in the district, which developed as Charlotte's principal manufacturing corridor. Renovation for retail and office use is under way.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is an important example of the textile-related industries that flourished in Charlotte and the Piedmont in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Parks-Cramer Company made humidifying and air-conditioning equipment for cotton mills, which reduced yarn breakage and machinery malfunction. It is described as one of the most significant surviving early factories in the Dilworth industrial district.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 94000146, listed March 7, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2000 South Blvd., Charlotte |
|---|---|
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| Listed | March 7, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000146 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1919-1943 |
| Architect / builder | E. H. Clement and Company (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Industrial Functionalism |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently undergoing renovation and adaptive reuse for retail and office use |
| Acreage | 5.2 |
| Coordinates | 35.20976, -80.86092 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 94000146.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19461795
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.