Mecklenburg County is named for the German Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who became queen consort of King George III of Great Britain and who lived from 1744 to 1818.
Created: November 3, 1762
County Seat:
Charlotte 1763 – present
County Courthouse – Charlotte
Location: 832 East 4th Street / South McDowell Street
Built: 2005 – 2007
Style: Modern Highrise
Architect: Schekel & Shultz Architects, HRD Architecture and Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood Architects
Contractor: FN Thompson Company and Turner Construction Company
Description: The building faces northeast and is a nine story glass and concrete structure. The building forms a triangle on the southwest corner with at tower rising above the building and having large pillars rising three stories at the recessed entrance. The top of the tower is open with thin pillars supporting an overhang. Large pillars run along the north and east sides and rise three stories. The top story has recessed windows with square concrete framed openings.
Old County Courthouse – Charlotte
Location: 700 East Trade Street / Alexander Street
Built: 1926 – 1928
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Louis H Ashbury of Charlotte
Contractor: J J McDevitt Company of Charlotte
Description: The building faces north and is a three story gray colored granite stone, limestone and bronze structure. The building has a wide recessed porch supported by ten large stone columns. The three large doorways are bronze. On either side of the wide porch is a large arched window on the second story with smaller windows on either side. A projecting stone cornice follows the roof line. Wide steps descend from the porch on the first story.
Note: A courthouse was built in 1836. The previous courthouse was designed by Frank P Milburn and constructed by McAfee & Company in 1897.
County Administration – Charlotte
Location: 600 East 4th Street / Alexander Street
Built: 1985 – 1989
Style: Modern Highrise
Architect: J N Pease Associates
Contractor: Metric Polote
Description: The building faces north and is a fourteen story glass and concrete structure. The building is named as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center and faces onto a wide plaza.
Courthouses:
N – Iredell County
E – Cabarrus County
S – Union County, Lancaster County, South Carolinia and York County, South Carolina
W – Gaston County and Lincoln County
Photos taken 2008