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Mecklenburg African American Resources Grier Heights United Presbyterian Church MK 2348
Synopsis of Significance: Outside of Charlotte’s urban core, most of Mecklenburg County’s African American Churches were either replaced or radically remodeled in the second-half of the twentieth century. The 1944 Grier Heights United Presbyterian Church retains a good degree of integrity, despite the addition of a frame construction portico in the 1960’s.
This large, one-story brick building was constructed using a variant of Flemish and American bonds, with three courses of stretchers between courses of alternating headers and stretchers. All of the headers are glazed. The church was built on sloping ground with access to a basement level in the rear. Basement windows have stone lintels and are covered with metal security screens. Separating the basement level is a water table constructed of concrete blocks.
The principal section of the church is hipped-roofed, and is three-bays deep with brick pilasters separating the bays. The central bays on the north and south elevations contain two arch topped windows. The round-arched openings with lunettes feature keystones and brick sills. The windows are composed of an arched divided-light transom over six-over-six double-hungs. The other two bays on each elevation contain a single arch topped window.
A prominent three-bay wide and one-bay deep front-gabled narthex faces the road. This section features a parapet capped with concrete, and decorative yellow brickwork around the openings. Small four-over-four windows with arch transoms flank a replacement door set in and arched opening. Four-over-four arch topped windows are also located in the one-bay deep north and south elevations of the front section. A yellow brick cross is visible above a large portico, supported by square post, which is not original to the building.
A hipped one-room deep wing is attached to the rear of the church. It also contains the smaller four-over-four arch topped windows. A hipped-roof education building from the 1960’s is attached to the church with a hyphen.
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