New owner of Excelsior Club makes plans for site

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There's a new owner for Charlotte's historic Excelsior Club.

Years ago, the Excelsior Club was a center for social and political activity for African Americans.

The club also hosted musicians, such as Nat King Cole and James Brown.

It closed in 2016.

[ ALSO READ: Historic west Charlotte club named one of the most endangered places in US ]

Darius Anderson, who is with California-based Kenwood Investments, is the new owner of the property in Washington Heights and has family in Charlotte.

A former executive director for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Landmarks Commissions said he has spoken with Anderson about what he plans to do with the site.

“Darius is a very, very unusual developer, in a good sense,” former executive director Dan Morrill said. “He’s a man with a social conscience. He has sensitivity to African American culture. He’s aware of the history of the Excelsior Club. He really does want to celebrate that legacy.”

In the video at the top of this webpage, Channel 9′s Gina Esposito learns more about the buyer and what he hopes to bring to the area.