Parker, Charles Newton, 1885-1961

The Charles Parker papers are a collection of architectural drawings for the Grove Arcade in Asheville, North Carolina. In 1924, Charles Newton Parker (1885-1961) was hired to be the architect in the construction of the Grove Arcade, a shopping center commissioned by local multi-millionaire, E. W. (Edwin Wiley) Grove (1850-1927).

E. W. Grove made his money in the pharmaceutical business, and moved to Asheville in 1898 on doctor’s orders. During his time in Asheville, Grove found an interest in civic planning and urban development. Asheville became the outlet for his new hobby, and Grove had with aspirations of improving its downtown life and transforming it into a thriving city. As his first urban development project Grove built subdivisions. These started in 1905 with Grove Park, a subdivision on the north side of town. The centerpiece of this development was the Grove Park Inn, completed in 1913. It was a high class resort, with celebrity guests such as F. Scott Fitzgerald. Other projects of Grove’s included: Grovestone (a quarry and gravel factory), Grovemont (a housing community in Swannanoa), and Battery Park (a hotel).

One of the architects working on the Grove Park developments was Charles Parker. Parker was born in Hillsboro, Ohio, but moved to Asheville, North Carolina after his older brother found a job in the area with E. W. Grove. Parker never went to formal architecture school, but found his calling working at various architecture firms. Parker is known for his work designing residential homes, mostly in the revival Tudor style. After working on the Grove Park subdivision, Parker was hired by E.W. Grove to construct the Grove Arcade in 1924. Originally the structure was designed to be a five-story shopping center with a 14-story tower spanning an entire city block. For Grove, this type of building was essential to the reviving of downtown Asheville by eliminating the seedy downtown areas, and moving all the boutiques into one location. Architecturally, Parker designed the building with gothic and Tudor elements. The building is covered in glazed terra cotta and decorated with detailed engravings, and façade embellishments.

In 1927 E.W. Grove died while the Grove Arcade was still in the midst of construction. Walter P. Taylor bought the construction project and finished it in 1929. Charles Parker stayed on the job as chief architect, but alterations had to be made to the original building plan. The 14-story tower was never built due to financial reasons. Throughout the 1930s the building thrived as a shopping center set in the midst of Asheville’s Golden Age. In 1942, while the United States fought in World War II, the federal government took over building and closed the shops, mandating that Grove Arcade be used for overflow governmental offices. After the war ended, the building continued to be used for office space, this time by the National Climate Center. In 1985, Asheville started plans to restore Grove Arcade to its original purpose as a shopping center. This project was completed in 2002.

From the guide to the Charles Parker Papers, 1924-1929, (Special Collections Research Center)