Wesley Heights: Architecture and the Local Historic District

Wesley Heights is one of Charlotte's designated local historic districts, administered by the Charlotte Historic District Commission. That designation covers a defined area and brings design review for many exterior changes.

Reading the houses

Many older Wesley Heights homes show Craftsman influence: low-pitched gabled roofs, wide eaves with exposed rafters, and tapered columns on brick piers. Others are better described as cottages, foursquares, or vernacular homes. Style is not age, and a renovation is not a restoration.

Restoration, renovation, reconstruction, infill

• Restoration: returning a building to its appearance at a particular period using evidence.
• Renovation: updating a building for current use, which may change its character.
• Reconstruction: rebuilding a lost structure or feature.
• Infill: new construction on a vacant or redeveloped lot — not 'historic', even when designed to fit.