Midwood Elementary Demolished as $18.5M Apartment Development Begins in Plaza Midwood

Ares Management Corp. purchased the old Midwood Elementary School in October. The price tag? $18.5 million. Demolition crews have begun tearing down the structure at 1817 Central Ave., clearing space for a seven-story apartment tower. The Los Angeles-based investment firm secured a $69.4 million construction loan to fund the project, per a news release from JLL Capital Markets, which brokered the deal between Ares and United Bank.

The tower will contain 314 apartments. Studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units will fill the floors, averaging just over 790 square feet per unit.

A rooftop lounge will crown the structure. Multiple courtyards, a library, and 472 parking spaces round out the amenities. Construction crews will break ground before year's end, with completion expected in 2028.

Per the Charlotte Observer, JLL reported that the area's population surged 43.4% between 2010 and 2025. This demolition adds to Charlotte's pattern of replacing old buildings with new construction — from Steele Creek near Charlotte Douglas International Airport to several Black neighborhoods threatened with displacement by Interstate 77 expansion plans.

Originally called the Lawyers Road School, the building opened in 1935, per the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission. Central Avenue saw little housing development in the early 1900s due to limited transportation options. By the 1920s, however, automobiles became affordable and homes sprouted along the corridor.

The eight-room facility filled up instantly. Expansion came in 1942 with two additional rooms and an auditorium. By the 1950s, enrollment peaked at 1,000 students.

Suburban sprawl drew families away. Enrollment plummeted to 300 before the school shuttered in 1983. The property transformed into the Midwood International and Cultural Center in 2013, providing space for nonprofits and local groups, including the International House.

Historic landmark designation arrived in 2016. Conformity Corporation acquired the property in 2021 and evicted tenants. The final occupants departed in 2023, according to WFAE.

Eastern Federal Corp. filed a demolition permit with the city that same year. The building's historic status triggered a one-year hold on demolition. That hold lapsed last December.