Sykes, Joseph, Brothers Company Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1926 at the corner of South Mint Street and West Summit Avenue, this one-story brick factory housed the first U.S. plant of the Joseph Sykes Brothers Company, an English maker of steel wire card clothing, which is machinery used to align cotton fiber for spinning. Lockwood, Greene and Company designed it, and Blythe and Isenhour built it. A small front office with restrained Classical detailing, including brick pilasters, quoins and a concrete pedimented entrance, sits ahead of a larger rear machine shop. Its steel frame could have carried two more stories. The building matters as evidence of Charlotte's rise as a manufacturing and distribution center serving the Piedmont textile industry. It is one of only six factories left from the South Mint Street industrial district and one of the best preserved in the city. The company occupied it until about 1970, and a certified rehabilitation has kept its original windows, doors and much of its interior character. Its period of significance runs from 1926 to 1952.
Significance in brief: The building is significant under Criterion A for industry. It illustrates how Charlotte became the leading manufacturing and distribution center of the Carolinas, drawing suppliers to the textile industry. It is one of only six factories surviving from the early twentieth-century South Mint Street industrial district and one of the best preserved factories in the city.
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 03000343, listed May 1, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1445 S. Mint St., Charlotte |
|---|---|
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| Listed | May 1, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000343 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1926-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Lockwood, Greene and Company, engineers; Blythe and Isenhour, builders |
| Architectural style | Early Twentieth Century Revivals/Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recently underwent a certified rehabilitation and retains its architectural integrity; current function listed as work in progress. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 35.21932, -80.86025 (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 03000343.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q21016245
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.