Court Arcade facade demolition set in Charlotte despite pledge to preserve 1920s front

Digital Realty plans a four-story data center on Trade Street in Uptown Charlotte, next to a facility it already built, requiring demolition of the 1920s Court Arcade building. A permit filed July 7 with Mecklenburg County covers demolishing the facade, despite the company's earlier commitment to preserve it. Local architects and AIA Charlotte are pushing for facade integration or adaptive reuse, while Digital Realty says its team studied preservation options but found no feasible way to save the front.