A home, garden, a clubhouse. These are just some of the places where local women sparked ideas to transform their community. This Women’s History Month, we’re looking at landmarks tied to the women who have helped shape Mecklenburg County.

Phillips House and Morris Barn

131 West Charles Street, Matthews
Built: 1925

The Phillips House was built in 1925 for O.L. “Pete” Phillips, his wife Beulah, and their two daughters, Margaret and Mary Louise. Also on the property was the Morris Barn (named for its previous owners), which housed the family’s milk cow and cotton storage. Notably, this is the only town barn still in existence in Mecklenburg County.

Margaret worked as a teacher in the local school system, spending the last 19 years of her career as a school administrator. Mary Louise built a thriving career as a librarian, serving as director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Carolina Room, which houses archives and special collections.

After their retirement, the sisters continued to live in their childhood home. They were institutions in the town, armed not only with decades of local history, but a generous spirit and dedication to making Matthews a better community. When friends and neighbors came to visit, they often left the Phillips house with a baked or canned good in hand. They felt strongly about the preservation of the historic character of the town and agreed to pass their historic Craftsman bungalow to the Mecklenburg County Historic Landmarks Commission after they were gone. The house and barn are now permanently protected.

Wing Haven

248 Ridgewood Avenue, Charlotte
Built: 1927

Elizabeth planned for large-windowed rooms which allowed for an almost 360 degree view of the garden from inside the home. Multiple mirrors were mounted on the walls to reflect as much natural light as possible. Her designs also included a built-in bird feeder on the second floor outside of her bedroom window.

The outside of the home was just as beautiful as the inside. Elizabeth and Eddie designed formal gardens and pathways, creating a haven for the many birds that nested in the trees, splashed in the bird baths, or ate from the bird feeders.

Their property became the site of the founding of the Mecklenburg Audubon Club in 1940 and public tours of the garden and bird sanctuary begin in the 1950s. In the 1970s, the Clarksons donated the garden to the Wing Haven Foundation, Inc., with the home donated to the Foundation after their deaths in the early 1990s

Charlotte Woman’s Club

1001 East Morehead Street
Built: 1924

What began in 1899 as a group of six women gathered in people’s homes under the moniker of the Charlotte Mother’s Club, had grown to a group of more than 500 meeting bimonthly in the Carnegie Library by the early 1920s. To accommodate its growing membership, the Club secured its first clubhouse.

The newly constructed building designed by local architect Charles C. Hook quickly became the talk of the town. The Regency Revival style building featured a dining hall, private dining room, and auditorium that could seat 400.

It was the perfect place for the women of the Club to dedicate themselves to civic activities. They organized the YWCA, brought public health nurses to Charlotte, and provided support for the public library. They introduced home economics programs in public schools and established the city’s first kindergarten.

While the building was sold by the Woman’s Club in 2008, the organization remains active.

All these buildings have been designated historic landmarks with the help of Mecklenburg County’s Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC). The HLC identifies and researches properties of historic significance. The next step is to make recommendations to the appropriate governing body (Charlotte City Council, Town Boards, etc.) so that verified properties be designated as a historic landmark.

Think you know of a property that should be designated a landmark? Let us know.