New Real Estate Brand Unveiled as Construction Takes Shape at Highly Anticipated South End Development

Charlotte, N.C. (Dec. 03, 2020) – Now officially known as The Line, the development at 2151 Hawkins Street is the newest exciting addition to Charlotte’s South End. Opening in the fall of 2021, The Line is a mixed-use office development connected to the Rail Trail in the heart of Charlotte’s South End. Anchored by craft-brewer Sycamore Brewing, the building will feature 285,000 square feet of office space, multiple rooftop terraces, and ground floor community access to the building’s restaurant and retail spaces. Portman Holdings, National Real Estate Advisors, LLC (on behalf of a client) and Foundry Commercial are the development, ownership, and leasing teams, respectively, behind this project.

The South End submarket – a vibrant area of new culinary concepts, art galleries and showrooms, technology companies, and brewpubs – attracts younger professionals and businesses in the creative and technology realms and has established a reputation as one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the region to live, work, and play.

“South End is one of the top markets in the country that mixes local culture and creative commerce. Directly connected to Charlotte’s Rail Trail, The Line offers its future tenants an incredible pedestrian connection, outdoor amenities and a vibrant ground floor, which includes Sycamore Brewery’s new home,” said Charles Pinkham, III, Senior Vice President of Development for Portman Holdings. “Whether here for work or play, we envision the community coming together in a variety of ways to enjoy this creative office and neighborhood retail building. There truly is nothing like this in Charlotte.”

The Line directly fronts and is connected to Charlotte’s Rail Trail linear park, opposite Atherton Mill in the heart of South End and is within a six-minute walk of the Lynx Blue Line East/West station. A new Lynx station is planned immediately adjacent to The Line, further improving its outstanding transit connectivity. In addition to a brand-new Sycamore Brewing Taproom, The Line will include over 15,000 square feet of exciting ground floor retail/restaurant offerings. Nine floors of Class A office space will feature a sky lobby and a shared amenity terrace on the building’s 8th floor.

The new brand – The Line – was created to reflect the convergence of community and connection, whereby someone might find themselves online in their office suite upstairs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., yet offline and enjoying a bite and drinks with friends downstairs in the building’s retail and restaurant spaces after work. The colors of The Line brand are bold and vibrant, meant to differentiate the building from others in the region, while remaining true to the playful and modern spirit of Charlotte’s South End.

The brand was created in collaboration with Virgil Abloh, a globally renowned fashion designer who owns and runs the popular streetwear brand Off-White. Abloh’s style has been defined by transparency and simplicity, and the block logo style for The Line is emblematic of the building’s design. Abloh is also the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection, is a trained architect, and has worked on significant collaborations with brands such as Nike, Mercedes, and IKEA, to name a few. In 2018, he was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

“We are excited to be working alongside Portman and Foundry on this iconic South End development,” said Jeff Kanne, President and CEO of National Real Estate Advisors. “We’re also proud that this new development will generate jobs for the people of Charlotte during a time of uncertainty, and we believe The Line will increase economic activity benefitting the community as a whole.”

“The design team worked to create an authentic expression indicative of the rich history and colorful future of South End,” said John Gaulden, Co-Managing Director of Gensler’s Charlotte office. “By connecting the rail and street-facing sides, The Line activates the streetscape and invites locals and visitors alike to experience the space for business or leisure any day of the week.”

“We are beyond excited to be a part of this amazingly cool space. With an expansive beer garden, second-story patio, house-roasted coffee offering, and a dynamic chef-driven food and beverage program, this experience is going to be second to none in the Queen City,” added Sarah Brigham, Co-Owner of Sycamore Brewing.

Gensler is providing the architectural services for The Line, with DPR handling the construction. For office leasing information, contact Meredith Ball or Cody Sundberg at Foundry Commercial at 704-523-0272. For retail leasing information, contact Foundry’s Keely Hines at 704-676-1563.

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Image Attached: The Line, a recently branded mixed-use office development on Hawkins Street in the heart of Charlotte’s South End, will feature 285,000 square feet of office space, an additional 20,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space anchored by Sycamore Brewing, multiple rooftop terraces, and plenty of tenant amenities. Portman Holdings, National Real Estate Advisors, LLC, and Foundry Commercial are the development, ownership, and leasing teams behind this project. Gensler is providing the architectural services for The Line.

About Portman Holdings:

For 62 years, Portman Holdings has been an innovator in the design and development of transformational hotel and office properties. Founded in 1957, Portman Holdings developed the first wholesale trade mart and the first integrated hotel in Downtown Atlanta, when most people and businesses were fleeing to the suburbs. That small trade mart expanded to over 7 million square feet and became the Americas Mart. The firm grew into a fully integrated development practice that has developed hotels, retail space, apartments, and office buildings around the world; including the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square, San Francisco’s Embarcadero Center, and Shanghai Centre. For more information, visit www.portmanholdings.com.

About Gensler

Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm with 50 locations professionals networked across Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Founded in 1965, the firm serves more than 3,500 active clients in virtually every industry. Gensler designers strive to make the places people live, work, and play more inspiring, more resilient, and more impactful. For additional information, visit www.gensler.com.

About Foundry Commercial

Foundry is a full-service real estate services and investment company with over 330 employees and more than 50 million square feet of management and leasing across the Southeast and Texas. Since 2007, Foundry has provided leasing, brokerage, building management, corporate services and project management services, and is the largest real estate service provider to religious and not-for-profit organizations in the country. Foundry also includes a development and investment platform that is fully integrated into its services business, leveraging its local market expertise to control more than one billion in advantaged investment opportunities with their JV partners. For more information, visit www.foundrycommercial.com.

Media Contact:

Lauren Leetun, APR

Lauren.Leetun@foundrycommercial.com

(407) 592-7923