How do I identify a Brick Ranch?
Look for long low profile, brick veneer, picture window, carport. Recorded year built and structural characteristics for any Mecklenburg County parcel are available through the POLARIS parcel viewer.
Field guide · 1948–1968
Brick Ranch
The post-war standard across Commonwealth Park, Winterfield, and Oakhurst.
Era
1948–1968
Where to find it
Plaza Midwood grid
Primary tell
Long low profile
ZIP
28205
What defines the Brick Ranch
Single story, long and low, brick veneer, with a picture window and an attached carport or garage on the later examples.
Owning one here
Solid structure, generous lots, and the easiest historic-era house in the area to open up into a modern plan.
Condition items that show up on inspection
On brick ranch houses of the 1948–1968 period, the recurring inspection findings in Charlotte are foundation or pier movement, drainage that pushes water toward the crawl space, roof and flashing age, undersized or ungrounded electrical service, and original single-pane glazing. Sewer laterals of this era are frequently clay or cast iron and are worth scoping before closing. None of that is unusual for the stock — it simply belongs in the budget rather than in the surprise column.
Permits, overlays, and what review looks like
Exterior work visible from the street can be subject to review where a property sits inside a designated local historic district; elsewhere in Plaza Midwood, standard City of Charlotte zoning and the Unified Development Ordinance govern setbacks, height, and lot coverage. Confirm designation, zoning, and permit history for a specific address with the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County before committing to a scope. Tree removal is separately regulated.
Renovating in this style
Work that respects the brick ranch keeps the street facade, roofline, and window proportions intact while making the rear of the plan fully contemporary. Match trim profiles and eave details before choosing finishes — those details are what make new work read as original.
How to spot one
- Long low profile
- Brick veneer
- Picture window
- Carport
Where to find it
Streets with Brick Ranch houses
Blocks where this style is recorded in the neighborhood survey of housing character.
Commonwealth Park
Commonwealth Avenue
The eastern spine, running through three decades of building eras in a single drive.
1920–1955
Morningside
Morningside Drive
One of the few genuinely rolling streets in a flat neighborhood, with walk-out basements on the low side.
1935–1955
Chantilly
Otts Street
A short residential run near the creek edge with a mix of original and renovated stock.
1920–1950
Plaza Shamrock
Shamrock Drive
A long east–west route through the mixed-era district north of the neighborhood core.
1930–1960
Kilborne Park
Kilborne Drive
Post-war brick with an unusual amount of original interior detail still in place.
1940–1958
Commonwealth Park
Nassau Boulevard
A wide residential boulevard with a planted center strip on part of its length.
1925–1950
Commonwealth Park
Norton Road
A wide, flat street with deep back yards that invite additions and accessory dwellings.
1930–1955
Morningside
Hillside Avenue
Gentle grade, mature planting, and a mix of restored and original-condition houses.
1930–1950
Commonwealth Park
Firwood Lane
A quiet post-war lane with consistent brick ranches and generous frontage.
1940–1960
Winterfield
Hollis Road
Straightforward mid-century houses on flat, buildable lots.
1950–1965
Eastern edge
Eastway Drive
A high-volume arterial forming the practical eastern boundary of the neighborhood's orbit.
1950 to present
Plaza Shamrock
Mecklenburg Avenue
A mixed-era residential street running north from the neighborhood core.
1925–1955
Communities
Enclaves where the brick ranch appears
Historic enclave
Chantilly
A quieter early-20th-century plat south of Independence, buffered by Briar Creek and the greenway.
Mid in-town band
Historic enclave
Oakhurst
A post-war neighborhood southeast of Plaza Midwood that has absorbed much of its overflow demand.
Entry to mid in-town band
Historic enclave
Winterfield
A post-war district east of Commonwealth Park, one of the most affordable footholds near the neighborhood.
Entry in-town band
Historic enclave
Kilborne Park
The blocks along Kilborne Drive between Veterans Park and Eastway.
Mid in-town band
Field guide
Other styles on these blocks
1910–1935
Craftsman Bungalow
The defining house of Plaza Midwood and the reason the streetscape reads the way it does.
Tapered porch columns on piers
1915–1945
Colonial Revival
The formal counterweight to the bungalow, concentrated on The Plaza and Hamorton Place.
Symmetrical facade
1920–1940
Tudor Revival
Steep gables and storybook massing on a handful of the neighborhood's best-preserved blocks.
Steep front gable
1905–1930
American Foursquare
Boxy, efficient two-story houses that maximize a narrow streetcar lot.
Hipped roof with center dormer
1900–1930
Mill House
Small, plain worker cottages that survive along the neighborhood's western edge.
Small footprint
1935–1950
Minimal Traditional
Depression- and war-era cottages that fill the transitional blocks.
Low roof pitch
Frequently asked
Questions & answers
When were Brick Ranch homes built in Charlotte?
Brick Ranch houses in Plaza Midwood date primarily to 1948–1968. Construction years for individual properties are published in the Mecklenburg County Assessor's records.
Source: City of Charlotte
What should owners of a Brick Ranch expect?
Solid structure, generous lots, and the easiest historic-era house in the area to open up into a modern plan.
Source: City of Charlotte
Sources & verification
Figures and descriptions on this page are compiled from the public sources listed above and reviewed periodically. Conditions change; verify anything you plan to rely on with the responsible authority before acting.
Related
Continue through the guide
Plaza Midwood Home Styles
A field guide to every architectural style found on the neighborhood's blocks.
Plaza Midwood Architecture
Reading facades, materials, and a century of building eras.
Plaza Midwood Bungalows
Craftsman, Tudor, and mill-house stock — what to look for and what to expect.
Renovating a Plaza Midwood Home
Permits, additions, systems, and the realities of a hundred-year-old house.