CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Mecklenburg Investment Company opened in 1922 in the Brooklyn neighborhood. It was a safe space back in the day where Black people could talk about the issues they faced and form solutions towards racial equity.
Today, as part of The Brooklyn Collective, the work being done inside the same walls enables a vast connection between community members in order to support upward economic mobility for all and racial equity in Charlotte.
"You can feel the history," Monique Douglas, the director of tenant services and community engagement at the collective, said as she gave WCNC Charlotte a tour of the building.
"This is where the leaders gathered to have those very important discussions about what is really going on in our times," she explained. "How are we going to move the needle with regards to this Jim Crow, that's, that's blocking success for blacks at that time."
The hardwood floors, bricks and layout are all the originals that were built 100 years ago this year. The creaks of the floors and the ruggedness of the uniquely colored bricks help to take you back in and imagine the work that was done inside.
"This was like a social club for Black [people] since they couldn't go into the white sides of town," Douglas said. "So, they decided to create their own, but with great intent on the purpose and the mission that they had to fulfill to make change."
Today, the century-old mission is still being lived up to inside.
The building is home to several non-profits, businesses and artists. The layout and comradery help to connect them to solve different issues and help others strengthen their economic mobility.
"They're able to collide, collaborate for the greater good of the community," Douglas said.
Fashion designer Gordon Holiday works out of a room in the building that serves as his studio. He spends his time sewing a variety of fabrics together to make sustainable clothes, never forgetting the fabric of history that he's standing on.
"To be in this space is very inspiring to come in every day," he said.
It's not lost on him, and tenants are reminded of that history daily when walking through the halls that bare the building's story.
"We put the history on the walls, because we want you to know even though this looks pretty when you walk inside, this is the fabric," Douglas said. "This is the foundation, these are the stories we don't want you to forget."
Contact Hunter Sáenz at hsaenz@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.