Location: NC 29/49 (South Tryon Street) in Charlotte
County: Mecklenburg
Original Date Cast: 2008
On November 17 and 18, 1908, city officials from across North Carolina met in Charlotte to discuss their experiences in city and town management. Governor Robert Glenn joined them as well as the mayors of Boston, Houston, Roanoke, and several nearby South Carolina cities.
Gathered in the 500-seat auditorium of the Charlotte Academy of Music building, the assembled officials voted to form the Carolina Municipal Association, for the purpose of the “advancement of good civic management in all municipalities.” The association since has met annually, and in 1934 changed its name to the North Carolina League of Municipalities. Today, the Raleigh-based League represents over 530 cities and towns within the state. In 2008, in commemoration of the centennial, the group laid plans to return to Charlotte for its annual meeting.
Some of the organization’s accomplishments include advocacy that has led to zoning regulations and group insurance for municipal employees. In 1951 the association led a successful effort to provide for a percentage of the state gasoline tax revenues to be passed to local governments for road development and improvement.
The Charlotte Academy of Music building, where the original meeting took place, was constructed in 1902, having been designed by noted architect Charles Christian Hook. The structure burned in 1922.
References:
Charlotte Observer, November 17-18, 1908
Jack Aulis, 75 Years of Service: A History of the North Carolina League of Municipalities (1983)
North Carolina League of Municipalities website: http://www.nclm.org