← Back

Wire · regulatory

Charlotte architects try to save historic facade from demolition for data center

Published

13 July 2026

Topic

regulatory

Sectors

Cloud Infrastructure

Geography

United States

Source

Read at charlotteobserver.com

Verified

Fusion42 · 14 July 2026 · Fusion42 review

Digital Realty Trust is demolishing a 100-year-old historic facade in Charlotte to expand its data centre operations, after initially planning to preserve it; the move has triggered local architect opposition and exposes a gap in Charlotte's regulatory protection for non-designated historic buildings.

This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Cloud Infrastructure.

◆ The Wire takeaway

If you're building or buying data centre real estate in growth markets, undesignated historic buildings are now liabilities—Digital Realty flipped from preservation to demolition the moment facade-saving became inconvenient. Expect this pattern to repeat in older downtowns where land is tight and preservation rules are weak.

Coverage

1 source · 13 Jul 2026

Related on Wire

Topics

Cloud Infrastructuredata-centre-expansionreal-estate-frictionzoning-conflicthistoric-preservationcharlotte-market