A Permanent Campus

By the 1950s Charlotte College had outgrown its original home at Central High School. In 1957, J. Murrey Atkins, who chaired the first college advisory committee and later the Charlotte Community College System board, announced the selection of a 240-acre site for the future permanent home of Charlotte College.

On Nov. 11, 1960, Bonnie Cone joined Atkins, L.P. McLendon, chairman of the North Carolina Board of Higher Education, and Addison Reese to break ground for the new campus’ first two buildings. These structures, built alongside a barn, were later named for W.A. Kennedy, Pierre Macy, first chair of foreign languages.

This 1961 aerial photo by Bill Barley captures the rustic location of the new Charlotte College campus; the first two buildings shared space with an old barn.

Photo: Atkins Library Special Collections

Nearly four years later, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a gift of 520 acres of land to Charlotte College, enlarging the campus to 917 acres with a goal of achieving 1,500 acres. Following UNC Charlotte's designation in 1965 as a campus of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, University and elected officials began planning for campus expansion.

In 1967, the UNC General Administration and the state legislature provided funding for Dalton Tower to expand the J. Murrey Atkins Library. Additional allocations would fund a member of the college’s first advisory board, and the Rowe Arts Building, Belk Gymnasium and a cafeteria.

Students find a home at UNC Charlotte

Upon authorization in 1967 to build residence halls, Sanford and Moore Halls, named for former governors Terry Sanford and Dan Moore, emerged as the first on campus. The twin 11-story halls were completed in 1969 with Moore Hall designated as the first men’s dormitory. They were followed in 1972 and 1973 by Scott Hall and Holshouser Hall, also named for past governors, Bob Scott and James Holshouser. These high-rise residence halls anchored what became South Village. Holshouser and Scott were renovated in 2015 and 2018; Moore Hall was removed in 2019 to make way for a 650-bed residence hall with a mid-2023 completion.

In 1978, Hunt Village opened next to Holshouser Hall. This apartment-style residence preceded a second, Martin Village, on the eastern part of campus. Now called East Village, it includes five residence halls and Greek Village, completed in 2007. Comprising 13 houses, Greek Village is home to UNC Charlotte’s sororities. Five additional houses are reserved for non-Greek students.

In 2013 and 2014, Hunt Hall and Martin Hall replaced their smaller namesake villages. North Village residences began with the construction of Witherspoon (originally called Poplar) Hall in 1990. North Village now includes Belk, Lynch, Miltimore and Wallis halls.

Levine Hall, a 425-bed residence hall located near the University’s main entrance, honors philanthropists Leon and Sandra Levine, benefactors of the Levine Scholars Program. Named in 2016, Levine Hall also houses the program’s administrative offices and the Honors College.

Levine Hall

Photo: Wade Bruton