First Ward Park is a 4.6 acre urban park in the First Ward neighborhood of Uptown Charlotte. After a national competition to attract architects, the firm Shadley Associates was selected to build the park. The park incorporates the existing Dixie's Tavern and UNCC buildings, and new construction will include an office tower, hotel, and parking deck on adjacent land.The park is located at the corner of 7th and Brevard St, adjacent to ImaginOn and the Lynx light rail tracks. Completion of the park occurred on December 8, 2015 with a dedication ceremony followed by tours of the park. This marked the completion of a major park in each of Uptown Charlotte's four wards.PlanningDevelopment of the First Ward Park and surrounding areas had been in planning for several decades by Daniel Levine, owner of Levine Properties, which holds 24 acres of land in First Ward.Under a joint partnership between Levine Properties, UNC Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte, Levine will trade the park property with the county for an area of land along Brevard between 8th and 9th streets.The First Ward Park was highlighted in the Charlotte 2020 Vision Plan adopted by the City Council in September 2011. The park is mentioned as the keystone of a "First Ward Village" that would include development of surrounding vacant lots. One of the key accomplishments of such a park would be "creating attractive, active spaces and focal points for each of neighborhoods.Developers and city officials were hoping that the park could serve as a catalyst similar to what happened after the construction of nearby Romare Bearden Park and BB&T Ballpark in the Third Ward of Uptown Charlotte, which spurred development of several apartment and office buildings.
