North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Charlotte City Council has approved funding for the restoration and redevelopment of the historic Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford Road. The city and Mecklenburg County will each contribute $1.5 million toward the $8.3 million project, with the remaining $5.3 million coming from private and philanthropic sources.
The Excelsior Club, founded in 1944 by Jimmie and Minnie McKee, was a major African American social and political institution in the Southeast. Over the years, it hosted prominent figures including Bill Clinton, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, James Brown, and Sam Cooke. The site also appeared in the Green Book, guiding African Americans to safe destinations during the Jim Crow era. The building has been vacant since 2016…