On October 27, 2025, the Charlotte City Council unanimously approved funding to restore and redevelop the Excelsior Club, a historic site on Beatties Ford Road. The city and Mecklenburg County will each provide $1.5 million for the $8.3 million project. The remaining $5.3 million will come from private and philanthropic sources. The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners approved its share on October 22, 2025.
The Excelsior Club was founded in 1944 by Jimmie and Minnie McKee. It has served as an African American social and political venue in the Southeast. The club hosted figures such as Bill Clinton, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, James Brown, and Sam Cooke. It was listed in the Green Book and provided a safe space for African Americans during the Jim Crow era.
The building has been vacant since 2016. Previous redevelopment efforts did not succeed, and ownership has changed several times. Shawn Kennedy of Kennedy Property & Development and Tim Sittema of Crosland Southeast are leading the redevelopment. The plan is to create a community and entertainment space that reflects the club’s history…