About The Exhibit
From Miracle Mile to Plaza Midwood was created as a group project for a required Public History graduate course in digital history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. This exhibit introduces the history of the Plaza Midwood community while underscoring the rich cultural and economic diversity for which the neighborhood has come to be recognized for.
Plaza Midwood began as a collection of 10 separate streetcar subdivisions that did not become a formal “neighborhood” until an effort to fight a highway planned to run through the community led residents to the decision to ban together under a united neighborhood which they named after a major thoroughfare, The Plaza, and a major subdivision, Midwood. The Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association was organized in 1975, and this organization is largely responsible for the strong sense of community that binds residents of this neighborhood together.
This exhibit highlights the incredible diversity inherent in Plaza Midwood. The residential and architectural history of the community is readily available in several other locations, and thus this exhibit’s focus is primarily upon the civic and business structures of the area. The history of transportation, which made this community possible to begin with, and the events and activities which produce such a strong sense of community spirit are also highlighted.
For more history of Plaza Midwood please click here to go to the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association website.