CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A modest house on an Uptown street received recognition this weekend as a key part of Charlotte’s lost Black history.

The Franks House, one of the last remaining structures from the Third Ward community, was commemorated with a historic marker unveiling on Saturday.

The ceremony took place at the United House of Prayer at 1019 S. Mint Street, where the marker is now permanently installed.

When Arthur and Bessie Franks purchased their home at 305 Dunbar Street in 1949, it was one of the few Black-owned homes in Charlotte’s Third Ward. The home quickly transformed into something much larger — a cornerstone of community life where family, friends and neighbors gathered regularly.

Sunday afternoons were particularly special at the Franks house. After church services ended, as many as 50 people would gather there, drawn by Bessie Franks’ renowned cooking and the family’s open-door hospitality. These weekly gatherings created lasting bonds and memories that sustained the community through decades of change.

The vibrant Third Ward community was a bustling neighborhood centered around Mint, Graham and Morehead Streets. But it began disappearing in the 1960s. Urban renewal projects, sold to the public as “neighborhood improvements,”  systematically dismantled the area’s residential fabric. The construction of the John Belk Freeway in the 1980s delivered the final blow, physically severing Third Ward from the city center. 

Businesses closed, families had to move away and the social spaces that had helped define Black life in this part of Charlotte faded into memory.

After all of this time, the Franks House endured. 

The property remained within the Franks family for more than six decades. In 2022, the house received its first official recognition when it was designated a historic landmark.

The new marker installation represents another step in preserving this history. Unlike the house itself, which remains privately owned, the marker provides public access to the story of Third Ward and the families who called it home.

The unveiling, organized by the Mecklenburg County Historic Landmarks Department, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission and the United House of Prayer, featured remarks from Board of County Commissioners Chair Mark Jerrell and musical performances by the church’s brass ensemble, Horns of Glory.

The Franks House marker joins a growing effort to recognize Charlotte’s Black history. Historic preservation advocates hope the recognition will spark broader conversations about the communities displaced by urban renewal.

For the United House of Prayer, hosting the marker continues their congregation’s commitment to preserving local Black history. The church has deep roots in Charlotte’s African American community and sees the Franks House commemoration as part of their mission to honor the past while serving the present.

Saturday’s unveiling ceremony offered Queen City residents a chance to learn about the neighborhood that once thrived just blocks from the center of Charlotte. Stories of the Third Ward community, preserved through efforts like the Franks House marker, help ensure that the families who built their lives there will not be forgotten.

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