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80s Charlotte 1980-1989

1989 - The Seventh Mecklenburg County Courthouse

The Seventh Mecklenburg County Courthouse was dedicated on April 10, 1989. . . . An official public art project was located adjacent to the Courthouse Building. It featured the depiction of a courtroom scene using trees, shrubs, a fountain, and boulders to represent the judge, jury, defendant, attorneys, and spectators. from Courthouses of Mecklenburg County, 1766-2007 (Mecklenburg County, 2007)

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1988 - Native Son Returns

August 1988 - A crowd of 20,000 has to celebrate the opening of Charlotte's new $52 million coliseum on Tyvola Road. The fans are welcomed by Rev. Billy Graham, who also spoke nearly 33 years ago at the dedication of Charlotte's first coliseum on Independence Boulevard. Coliseum OpeningBilly Graham

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1980 - Phenomenal Growth

During the next 10 years, Mecklenburg County's employment rate will grow by more than 100,000 jobs. Civic pride and a strong local economy help attract businesses and new residents to the area.

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1988 - NBA Arrives

November 4, 1988 - The Bugs are alive at the Hive! In their first game, 23,338 fans swarm into the new coliseum as the new NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Though the Hornets lose the game 133-93, loyal fans will break attendance records again and again. Hornets' Debut

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1989 - Hurricane Hugo

September 22, 1989  - Charlotte is caught unaware when Hurricane Hugo turns inland from the South Carolina coast and slams into the Queen City during the night. High winds uproot huge trees, tear the roofs off homes and knock down power lines across the region. It will take weeks to restore power and safety to some parts of town. 

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1980 - Spirit Square

The old First Baptist Church on Tryon Street is re-born as the Spirit Square Center for the Performing Arts. Although the first phase of renovations was begun in 1976, recent improvements have given the facility more classroom space, plus display halls, galleries and theaters.

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1980 - An Artist Comes Home

October 12, 1980 - The man born at his great-grandfather's home near 2nd and Graham streets returns to the Queen City. Romare Bearden is now a nationally acclaimed artist who creates works of art from small pieces of glass, ceramic or paper in a method called collage. Bearden's works have hung in New York's finest museums and galleries. Today, Bearden's one-man show opens at Charlotte's Mint Museum of Art. 

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1981 - Discovery Place

October 31, 1981 - Discovery Place, Charlotte's hands-on museum opens. It has grown out of the Nature Museum, which has taught young children about the world around them since 1947. With its modern building on North Tryon Street, Discovery Place is the urban counterpart to the Nature Museum's 30 acres of lush woods near Freedom Park.

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1982 - Harvey Gantt

The man who was the first black student at South Carolina's Clemson College becomes the first black mayor in Charlotte.Mayor Gantt

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1984 - Honoring Kelly Alexander, Sr.

August 18, 1984  - Kelly Alexander, Sr. is honored by Governor Jim Hunt and the NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Since 1948, Alexander has been a tireless advocate for the rights guaranteed to all citizens by the U.S. Constitution, called civil rights. He serves as president of North Carolina's state NAACP chapter, which has brought more desegregation lawsuits than any other

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