Union Storage and Warehouse Company Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1927 at 1000 West Morehead Street, this two-story warehouse southwest of downtown Charlotte was designed for fireproof storage. It has cast-in-place reinforced concrete construction, red-brick curtain walls, steel-sash windows, a flat roof, and a rail loading dock facing the Piedmont and Northern Railway spur. Inside, octagonal mushroom columns with square drop slabs carry the floors without overhead beams, leaving large open storage spaces. Offices, a terrazzo foyer and a mezzanine occupy the front. The Union Storage and Warehouse Company, led by Cyril G. Smith, occupied it until 1942, offering general storage and moving services. Later occupants included Ford Motor Company, an appliance distributor and a textile machinery firm. Its location took advantage of the new West Morehead Street extension and the highway to the western mill towns. The building is recognized for its role in Charlotte's commercial growth and for its early use of reinforced concrete framing. It remains one of the city's most intact early warehouses, with rehabilitation for offices planned.
Significance in brief: It exemplifies the commercial storage warehouses built as Charlotte became a regional industrial and distribution center, and it was one of the earliest warehouses on the West Morehead Street corridor. It also shows early-twentieth-century advances in reinforced concrete, notably mushroom columns and drop slabs. It survives as one of the most intact early warehouses in Charlotte.
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 00001640, listed January 11, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1000 W. Morehead St., Charlotte |
|---|---|
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| Listed | January 11, 2001 |
| Reference number | 00001640 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1927-1942 |
| Architectural style | Early Twentieth Century; Other: utilitarian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture, Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current use is listed as work in progress; rehabilitation for office use was planned. The building has undergone few alterations. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 35.22851, -80.85842 (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 00001640.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q21016289
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.