Hot Listings

Muralist and academic Mike Wirth (right) led the Artisan Station mural project with assistance from painters ARKO and Drew Newpher. (Above) An advertisement for textile workers, The Charlotte Observer, Sept. 5, 1943.

force. “WOMEN Here is Your Chance,” trumpeted a job ad. “War orders are waiting—our ghting men are waiting … Help Us Furnish Our Boys With PARACHUTES.”

A er the war, the building returned to a variety of textile-related manufacturing, including Queen City Mattress. In the 1950s, a two-story wing was added to hold Charlotte Woodworking.

The Fuller family bought the structure in 1987. “A company made bras and panties there, 250 seamstresses,” recalls Dick Fuller. He and his twin brother, Bob, were starting an architectural antiques and furniture repair business they called Crossland Studio. “We had a couple of artists come to us” asking to rent upstairs, Dick Fuller says. “That worked out so well that we kept adding more and more art space.” With new interior walls and delightfully mismatched studio doors, the mill became Dilworth Artisan Station. “We loved the artists.”

In 2019, the Fuller twins, ready to retire, sold to White Point. You know White Point’s work if you’ve been to Optimist Hall, the 1890s cotton mill the company has handsomely renovated for restaurants. On Kingston, White Point has bought up most of the block and plans a high-rise that will face South Boulevard. But, says White Point exec Erik Johnson, Dilworth Artisan Station will stay much as is, with only a new ground- oor restaurant, cocktail lounge, or both in the Fullers’ old workshop space, plus some sprucing up.

Thus the mural by Mike Wirth. He’s an associate professor of art and design at Queens University and an energetic muralist who co-organizes Charlotte’s annual Talking Walls paint-a-thon (talkingwallscharlotte.com).

“I wanted to honor the history of the building,” he says. Look closely, and you’ll see those stockings, along with parachutes, a woman worker modeled on the famous WWII “Rosie the Riveter,” and more. “I wanted it to be like a memory, uid and colorful.”

BUILDING HISTORY is a monthly series that highlights Charlotte’s historic buildings. Tom Hanchett, a local historian since 1981, is the author of Sorting Out the New South City: Race, Class, and Urban Development in Charlotte and former sta historian at the Levine Museum of the New South. Follow him on Twitter at @historysouth.

REAL ESTATE Hot Listings

Aging homes get modern updates. —Taylor Bowler

1623 S. MINT ST. $1,100,000 WILMORE This bungalow has an attached double carport and electric driveway gate. The living room opens to a courtyard with a gas re pit and covered outdoor kitchen with a refrigerator, sink, and built-in gas grill. 4 BD, 3.5 BA, 3,203 sq. ., Savvy & Co., savvyandcompany.com

6501 COLSTON COURT $825,000 SOUTHPARK The kitchen and main living area open to a rear deck that overlooks a spacious backyard. The recently renovated home has designer lighting, sliding barn doors, and an owner’s suite with a hisand-hers closet. 4 BD, 4 BA, 3,709 sq. ., Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, premiersothebysrealty.com

2426 MARSHALL PLACE $1,175,000 SOUTH END Hardwood oors and natural light ow through each room of this modern farmhouse. The chef’s kitchen has marble backsplash, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a butler’s pantry with a wine fridge. 4 BD, 3 BA, 3,165 sq. ., Allen Tate Realtors, allentate.com

748 HEMPSTEAD PLACE $3,150,000 EASTOVER This updated ranch wraps around a pool and outdoor living area that includes a pool house with a full bathroom and bar. The chef’s kitchen has a commercialsized Wolf range, two islands, and an adjacent glass-enclosed wine room. 4 BD, 4.5 BA, 3,756 sq. ., Dickens Mitchener & Associates, dickensmitchener.com