Fact Friday 11 - UNCC/CPCC Connection
As 49ers, the 704 Shop crew jumps at every opportunity to share cool facts involving our alma mater, UNC Charlotte. And what better time to share a few than back to school season! As indicated in Fact Friday #10, last year’s enrollment was at 27,000 students and the main campus sits on approximately 1,000 acres and is growing. Given this, it may be hard to imagine its humble beginnings. Today’s sprawling and renowned research institution of the Queen City actually started out as a very, very small “center”, named the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina in 1946. The Center was originally founded to serve the needs of returning World War II veterans and the initial enrollment was 278 students. When funding later began to dwindle, the Center was taken over by the city and adopted the name Charlotte College in 1949, which was a 2-year institution (like Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) is today). In fact, Charlotte College’s first classes were held in Central High School (CHS), which originally stood at the corner of Kings Dr. and Elizabeth Ave, a primary cornerstone of today’s CPCC Central campus. The high school, originally named Charlotte High School and founded in 1908/09 was renamed Central High School in 1923. When the high school enrollment became too large for the 3-story building, the school was relocated to where Garinger High School stands today, making Garinger the oldest high school in the city. With the move, the Central High School building was vacant, making it the prime location for Charlotte College. But by 1957, its enrollment had nearly doubled and its leaders had to search for a new permanent home, settling on its current location in 1961.
Until next week!
Chris.
Email me at chris@704Shop.com if you have interesting Charlotte facts you’d like to share!
Central High School was opened around 1908. Located on Elizabeth Avenue, the building is now part of the Central Piedmont Community College's campus.