1607 Patton Avenue
Built 1959-60. First occupants were William P. Crawford, a laborer, and his wife Dorothy R. Crawford, librarian at Charlotte’s short-lived black state-supported Carver College, a predecessor of Central Piedmont Community College.
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In a neighborhood where nearly all men held professional jobs, William P. Crawford was the only original homeowner in McCrorey Heights to be listed in the city directory as “Laborer.”
His wife Dorothy R. Crawford did white-collar work. Carver College’s 1959-1960 yearbook listed Dorothy R. Crawford as Librarian and Secretary to the Faculty, having earned her A.B at Knoxville College and Masters in Library Science at Catholic University. Carver College, established for African Americans in 1949, became part of the new Central Piedmont Community College in 1964.
Building permits indicate that this was one of six houses in McCrorey Heights that were “spec-built” by Marsh Realty (also known as Marsh-Broadway), one of Charlotte’s largest suburban builders in the years after WWII. The Marsh houses were: 1604 Patton, 1607 Patton, 1631 Patton, 1643 Patton, 1601 Van Buren (moved or demolished circa 1968), 643 Fairfield (moved or demolished circa 1968). Marsh also served as contractor for 1601 Patton, 1805 Madison and 1911 Washington.
Architecture
One-story brick ranch house, 1960. Main hip roof with projecting front gable over the living room, which has a large front picture window. The original owner William Crawford took out a second permit in 1971 to construct a large rear addition (“add den, bedroom, bath, extend kitchen”) which is not readily visible from the street.
Building permits
Patton-1607-permit-b
Date issued: September 21, 1971
Owner: William P. Crawford
Contractor: Catoe Construction
Estimated cost: $11,250
Other permit info: At rear of house: add den, bedroom, bath, extend kitchen.
Date issued: June 5, 1963
Owner: William Crawford
Contractor: J.G. Helms
Estimated cost: $2000
Other permit info: 8×10 frame addition at rear
Date issued: July 15, 1959
Owner: Marsh-Broadway
Other permit info: Residence
Building permit files, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
First appeared in city directory
1960 – William P. Crawford & Dorothy R.
He: Laborer. She: Librarian, Carver College
1981 city directory: William and Dorothy Crawford still at this address, listed as “retired.”
City directory collection, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
Resources
Carver College, 1959 – 1960 yearbook. On-line at: https://archive.org/stream/carvercollegeann11carv/carvercollegeann11carv_djvu.txt
“Carver College Collection: An Inventory of the Collection, 1951 – 1964.” Central Piedmont Community College Archives. On-line at: https://www.cpcc.edu/library/archives/AR.0032findingaid.pdf