Revitalization plans for the historic Excelsior Club took a step forward Monday when a Charlotte City Council committee agreed to consider funding a portion of the project later this month.

Last month, Shawn Kennedy, who runs Kennedy Properties & Development along with Prosperity Alliance, proposed an $8.3 million rebuild of the club. The West Charlotte landmark was once a hub for Black nightlife in Charlotte, both before and after segregation.

Kennedy, along with development partner Tim Sittema and Crosland Southeast, asked the city to contribute $1.5 million toward the project.

On Monday, the Jobs and Economic Development Council Committee agreed to push the proposal forward for a full council vote on Oct. 27.

“This is part of what I believe is corridor revitalization,” said Councilman Malcolm Graham, who represents District 2 where the site sits. “We’re not investing in a club, we’re investing in a corridor, protecting history, legacy, and tradition.”

About the Excelsior Club

The Excelsior Club opened on Beatties Ford Road in 1944, becoming Charlotte’s first private club for Black residents.

There, Black Charlotteans danced and listened to live performances from the likes of Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. It was also a community and political hub visited by Bill Clinton and local leaders.

But the club closed in 2016 and remains in disrepair. A number of efforts to revive the space have come forward but none have come to fruition.

The proposed new Excelsior Club

Kennedy previously told the economic committee that he wanted the revitalization of the Excelsior Club to be his legacy project.

The plan is to demolish the building and bring back a replica of the space with an added rooftop deck. Sittema, one of the development partners, previously said the club needed to be demolished because it’s structurally unsound.

Kennedy envisions a modern juke joint with a community focus.

There would be healthy food options, live music and spaces for events, forums and farmers markets. Kennedy previously said there would be a focus on second-chance hiring for people who face barriers to employment, and free culinary training.

To accomplish this, he needs $8.3 million.

Kennedy has asked the city and the county for $1.5 million, each. And the remaining $5.3 million will come from the developers and foundations.

On Monday, Sittema said they are in talks with several foundations but funding hasn’t been finalized. Nor has the breakdown between developer and foundation dollars, but the developer will put in at least $1.5 million upfront for demolition costs.

If the city approves of the funding proposal, the money will come from ARPA dollars and Corridors of Opportunity funds.

The county will vote on its share of the funding on Oct. 21.

Another plan for the Excelsior Club

While the council seems intent on moving forward with Kennedy’s revitalization plans, The Charlotte Museum of History’s CEO would like to save the building.

CEO and President Terri White previously said the city “has a horrible reputation of tearing things down and building anew.”

She would like to see the building restored and turned into an information center focused on local and regional Black history. It would cost $20 million to $25 million, and include a modest Black History Center, parking and administrative space, White has said.

White and Kennedy met in July to try and work on a plan together but both said the discussion went poorly, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

It’s unclear whether the museum will still try to pursue its plan with council’s recent decision.

Other Charlotte city council plans

The economic committee also agreed to move forward with two other plans: Spangler’s Market and Do Greater’s Creative Lab.

Spangler’s would be a $5 million grocery store on Statesville Avenue in the Druid Hills and Double Oaks communities.

The area is a food desert, meaning a third of the neighborhood’s population lives more than a mile from a grocery store. The store would create 40 jobs. It would also offer senior discounts.

Developers asked the city for $500,000 and asked the county for $1 million.

Do Greater Charlotte, an entrepreneurial-focused nonprofit, began working on the Creative Lab last year. The three-story, 20,000-square-foot building will provide a digital creative studio and other technology for visitors. Developers requested $750,000 to help complete the project.

This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM.