ROSEDALE
This report was written on November 24, 1976
I. Statement of Purpose: On January 13, 1975, the City Council
of the City of Charlotte approved an ordinance (Ordinance 501-X filed in
Real Estate Book 3734 at Page 115) which designated the structure known
as Rosedale at 3427 North Tryon St. within the City of Charlotte as
"historic property." At its meeting of November 10, 1976, the Commission
voted to recommend that the City Council of the City of Charlotte,
acting under authority provided by N.C.G.S. 160A-399.4, amend Ordinance
501-X to include 7.78 acres of land (see attached map) within the
historic property known as Rosedale. It is the purpose of this report to
set forth the factors which caused the Commission to make this
recommendation.
II. Justification for the Recommendation:
A. Historical and Cultural Significance of the Property:
The 7.78 acres contain or did contain a number of outbuildings,
especially in the barn lot. A smoke house and a wash house, both dating
from the 1890s, remain. The old cotton house now serves as the garage.
The other outbuildings (two barns, a corn crib, a carriage house, an ice
house, a smithy, a garden house, a piggery) are not extant. However,
they were located within the boundaries of this property - a factor
which suggests that the 7.78 acres might qualify as a significant
archeological site. For example, recent investigations of the barn lot
with a metal detector uncovered some old harness. Moreover, shards of
old ceramics wash up from time to time around the roots of trees in the
yard. In addition to the outbuildings, the property contains a line of
English boxwoods running parallel to and 61 feet from the south or town
side of the main plantation house. These formed the centerpiece of the
original formal garden of Rosedale. In 1926 Mrs. Craighead Davidson, who
had come to Rosedale in 1914, initiated the development of a formal
garden adjacent to the location of the original garden. In 1956 she
began work on the original garden site. In 1948 she added a rose garden
within the boundaries of earlier gardens. The 7.78 acres contain the
results of Mrs. Davidson's efforts - a magnificent formal garden which
is 227 feet long and 80 feet deep. There are more than 3000 boxwoods in
the garden. The property also contains several significant trees. For
example, a yellow poplar in front of the wash house is 22'1" in
circumference at a height of four feet from the ground and is therefore
over two hundred years old. A little to the right of the front door of
the plantation house is a Chinese elm which was full grown at the time
it was photographed about 1886. Finally, the property contained many of
the early walkways, driveways, gates and fences of the plantation. On
balance, the evidence demonstrates that the 7.78 acres are culturally
and historically significant. Therefore, the Commission believes that
the 7.78 acres do meet the criteria set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-399.4,
including the criteria for inclusion in the National Register of
Historic Places.
B. Suitability of the Property for the Tax Deferral:
The legislation providing the opportunity for a deferral of 50% of the
rate upon which the Ad Valorem taxation on "historic property" is
calculated is intended to provide a means by which historically
significant property can escape the rigors imposed by appraising
property according to the "highest and best use." The current tax
appraisal value of the 7.78 acres, including the outbuildings, is
$119,440. The current tax bill is $2006.59. The Commission believes that
designation of the property, especially since it constitutes a portion
of a plantation which is listed in the National Register of Historic
Places, is in accordance with the purpose a of the tax legislation.
Date of this Report: November 24, 1976
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