Historic Charlotte

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Above: This 1930s photo shows Hempstead
Place in Eastover, looking toward Fenton
Place. Today the small oak saplings in the
photo have grown to create a cathedral-like
canopy over the street.
Below: E.C. Griffith, Sr. built his dream
home in Eastover for $60,000. Because of
economic conditions during the Great
Depression, he was forced to sell the house
for $30,000—$15,000 in cash and the
remainder on a note.
Although conflict often exists between
developers and environmentalists, the third
generation members of the Griffith family
consider themselves “concerned environmentalists.”
Their philosophy is to renew and
replace the ecosystems that have been
disrupted and even create new environmental
wetlands where possible.
The company recently agreed to deed thirty
acres of the wooded wetlands on the edge of
Eastover to the Catawba Lands Conservancy. A
stewardship fund has been established to
maintain the property which has been
described as “one of the last remaining urban
forests and an attractive wetlands habitat.”
The company also demonstrated its
environmental awareness while developing
Eastover Ridge Apartments. The apartments
were oriented so that the balconies face a
small creek that some believed to flow only
when it rained. The City, however, wanted to
“rip-rap” the entire creek, which would have
eliminated a sandy streambed as well as the
vegetation on the stream banks. Jim Griffith
vigorously protested this policy because he
had observed a variety of small fish in the
pools of the slow-flowing system. “We worked
hard to convince the bureaucrats, including
one who said there was no wildlife in the
creek because it was polluted with sewage
runoff,” Griffith explained.
At Griffith’s insistence, the creek now has
small weirs or dams to increase the depth and
volume of water for aquatic and wild life. The
stream is now home to mallards, great blue
herons, kingfishers, muskrats, catfish, large
mouth bass, and streambanks of ornamental
plants and vegetation full of insects to support
the food chain for the life that thrives around
the stream.
E.C. Griffith Company is also deeply involved
in a variety of civic activities. Generations of
Charlotte families played on the ball fields along
Randolph Road, which were “loaned” to the
Myers Park/Trinity Little League for forty-two
years. These were believed to be the oldest
continuous-play Little League fields in the nation.
Preston Griffith has been deeply involved in
the St. Frances Jobs Program, originated by
Christ Episcopal Church to reach out to at-risk
young adults, most of whom are school drops
outs, and to give them a second chance.
Preston became chairman of the Board of St.
Frances and the program has grown to become
BRIDGE (Building Responsible Individuals
through Discipline, Guidance and Education)
and provides mentors, education services and
training for many at-risk youngsters.
The company is also a strong supporter of
such organizations as United Way, American
Cancer Society Research, Special Olympics,
Down Syndrome Association, Cystic Fibrosis,
Good Fellows, Goodwill, Salvation Army,
Catawba Valley Land Trust and many others.
HISTORIC CHARLOTTE
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