A nearly 100-year-old building in Uptown Charlotte will soon be demolished to make way for a new four-story data center.
Digital Realty, a major player in the data infrastructure space, purchased the property at 725 E. Trade Street—home to the historic Court Arcade Building—and an adjacent parcel for $16 million. The project will expand their existing data center footprint at 113 North Myers Street.
Originally designed in the 1920s by architect William H. Peeps, the Court Arcade was built to serve attorneys working near the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. Its Classical Revival style stands in contrast to Peeps’ other surviving Charlotte arcade, the Latta Arcade.
The proposed 12MW data center will include a mechanical yard and sit near East Fifth Street. Digital Realty already operates a 2MW, 29,200-square-foot facility on-site.
Charlotte has become a data center hub in recent years, with clusters also forming around Raleigh. These facilities improve digital services but raise environmental concerns, including energy and water consumption. As data center growth accelerates, experts urge closer examination of their impact on public health and infrastructure.
No timeline for demolition or construction has been announced.
