Plan your visit
- Recorded location
- 1431 W. Morehead St., Charlotte
- Official information
- Open the official source →
A historic designation or address does not establish public entry, tours or visitor parking. Confirm access with the property or visitor organization.
| Recorded address | 1431 W. Morehead St., Charlotte |
|---|---|
| National Register | ref 03001275, listed 2003-12-10 |
| Research depth | dossier, independently sourced |
What we established, and from where
The complex occupies two tax parcels covering about one and a half acres between West Morehead Street and Bryant Street.
independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18
The complex's office and manufacturing buildings were designed by the Greenville, South Carolina architect J. E. Sirrine.
independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18
Within ten years of its invention, Frederick Grinnell's automatic sprinkler system had been installed in more than 10,000 buildings.
independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18
Frederick Grinnell was credited with forty patents for improved automatic sprinkler and automatic fire alarm systems.
independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18
In 1953 Grinnell gained a controlling interest in American District Telegraph Company, then the largest manufacturer of centrally monitored alarm systems in the United States.
independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18
Grinnell closed its Charlotte operation on West Morehead Street in March 1999 as part of a plan to consolidate its regional facilities in Norcross, Georgia.
independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18
By 1930 an eight-block stretch of West Morehead Street contained seven warehousing facilities as well as a range of manufacturing and foundry operations.
independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18
As recorded in the 2003 nomination, the Grinnell complex was the only example of this sawtooth-monitor industrial building form remaining in the city.
independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18
The primary source
The National Register nomination is the fullest account of this property that exists, written by a researcher and reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office. The nomination (National Park Service).
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