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BHM 2026 Notables by QCT | Post #08
Architects of Equity in Old
Brooklyn 🏛️📐✂️💼
Meet two of the most visionary institution-builders to shape Charlotte’s historic Black Second Ward—pillars of dignity, enterprise, and community uplift in the face of Jim Crow segregation:
🔹 W.W. “William Warren” Smith
(1862–1937)
Hailed as Charlotte’s first Black
architect, W.W. Smith was a master builder whose vision
extended beyond bricks and mortar. In 1921–22, he designed the
iconic Mecklenburg Investment Company (MiCo)
building—a three-story commercial hub in Second Ward’s Old
Brooklyn neighborhood. Financed by a cooperative of elite Black
businessmen, the MiCo served as a rare beacon of Black economic
self-determination, housing offices for lawyers, physicians, barbers,
insurance agents, fraternal lodges, and civic groups. More than a
structure, MiCo was a monument to progress and resilience during the
nadir of American race relations. Smith’s work still echoes today
as a symbol of what Black enterprise could achieve under pressure.
🔹 Thaddeus “Thad” Lincoln Tate
(1865–1951)
A master strategist in business and uplift, Thad
L. Tate served as treasurer of the MiCo and was instrumental
in grounding Black civic prosperity in the Second Ward. But he also
left his mark by founding Charlotte’s Colored YMCA branch,
a sanctuary where young Black men could find athletic training,
literacy programs, spiritual mentorship, and social stability. His
barbershop, situated in the heart of Old Brooklyn, drew some of
Charlotte’s most powerful white leaders—including Gov. Cameron
Morrison, department-store magnate William Henry Belk, and real
estate mogul Edward Dilworth Latta. That racially transcendent
clientele was a testament to Tate’s unmatched reputation for
excellence and discretion. He became a quiet power broker at the
intersection of race, respectability, and commerce—an unsung
architect of interracial dialogue and long-term community investment.
🕯️ From blueprints to barbershops, from commerce to community, these two men carved out platforms for Black advancement in the shadow of oppression.
🎟️ Come walk the path they paved during
the
👉🏾 28th
Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Toursm
– February 2026
📍 Tickets:
charlottepilgrimagetour.com
Footnote: The term “African-American” did not gain widespread usage until the late 1980s. During the era of the MiCo and Old Brooklyn, terms such as “Black,” “Negro” and “Colored” were the formal nomenclature used by and for Black communities. These historical terms are retained here for authenticity and context.
#OldBrooklyn #BlackArchitecture #BlackYMCA #CharlotteHistory #MiCoBuilding #ThadTate #WWSmith #HistoricSecondWard #BlackEnterprise #BHMCharlotte #QCT2026 #HeritageAndHope
📚 Sources:
https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/digital/mecklenburg-investment-co-building/
https://www.brooklyncollectiveclt.org/history
https://landmarkscommission.org/2016/12/15/mecklenburg-investment-company-building/
https://charlotteledger.substack.com/p/brick-by-brick-he-built-structures
https://ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu/people/P000291
https://lostcharlotteblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/william-w-smith/
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