“The Pearl” will be home to the Wake Forest School of Medicine campus and partner with Atrium Health’s clinical and research base. The $1.5 billion innovation district will be built in an area of Charlotte that was formerly known as “Brooklyn”, where a predominantly African American community flourished. Pearl Street Park, the first African American park in Charlotte, remains there today.
Brooklyn was also near Good Samaritan Hospital in Charlotte’s Third Ward, an African American hospital that included hundreds of doctors, nurses, and health care workers with Atrium ties.
Photo via Atrium Health
“The Pearl will be a place where Charlotte’s historic vitality meets its innovative future,” Atrium Health President and CEO Eugene A Woods said. The district will be a mixed-use development featuring education, retail, apartments, a hotel, and open community space. It will be located at the intersection of Baxter and McDowell streets in Midtown Charlotte.
The developer Wexford Science & Technology is also the developer of Winston-Salem’s Innovation Quarter, which also has deep ties with Atrium Health and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The purpose of the innovation districts is to advance scientific research, create new businesses, and develop the region into a leading innovation hub.
The Pearl will help contribute to at least more than 5,500 onsite jobs and more than 11,500 jobs, in total, in the Charlotte community. Atrium also plans to set aside at least $5 million for a new business incubation fund for minority-owned businesses.
Charlotte is the nation’s largest city without a four-year medical school, according to Atrium Health. The school is expected to host its first class of students in 2024. Construction on the innovation district is expected to start by the summer.
Dickens Mitchener relocation department is available to coordinate moves into the Charlotte region with our dedicated Destination Service Providers. Contact Catharine Pappas today to learn more or schedule a tour of the Queen City.
