John Paul & Alice Craft Lucas House
(ca. 1913)
The Craftsman style Lucas House represents Charlotte’s suburban middle class development in the early 20th century.
1601 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28204
The John Paul and Alice Craft Lucas House, an eclectic Craftsman style bungalow, is representative of the pre-World War I suburban development for middle-class residents in the Elizabeth streetcar suburb. Purchased by the Lucas family in 1913 for $8,500, the house was constructed on one of four undeveloped lots at the corner of Seventh Street and Louise Avenue acquired in 1912 by the Carolina Realty Company from the Highland Park Company, the initial developer of Elizabeth. The four lots were collectively called Independence Circle because they faced Independence Park, created in 1904 as Charlotte’s first public park.
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Born in Black Creek, North Carolina, John Paul Lucas (1885-1940) moved with his parents to Charlotte while he was still in school. At the age of seventeen, he started as a cub reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He later became the editor of the Winston-Salem Journal before returning to Charlotte as the managing editor of the Charlotte Evening Chronicle, the position he held when he and Alice purchased the East Seventh Street house. In 1920, John became the publicity manager for the Southern Public Utilities Company, the predecessor of Duke Power Company. He later became a vice-president and manager of merchandise and publicity for Duke Power. John also maintained a great interest in agriculture and operated a large farm on the side. He was elected president of the North Carolina Farmer's Convention in 1916 and 1917, appointed executive secretary of the North Carolina State Food Conservation Commission, and later became executive assistant state food administrator under the U.S. Food Administration. John was also active in extending rural electrification throughout Duke Power's operating area and traveled the state to promote agricultural advancement and rural development.
Alice Craft Lucas (l884-1962) was a Wilmington native. Following her 1905 graduation from Trinity College (now Duke University), she worked as a southern correspondent for the Boston Transcript newspaper. A member of Myers Park Methodist Church, Alice was also active in the Charlotte Woman's Club and the Research Book Club. In 1930, the Lucas family moved to a bigger house on Cherokee Road in the newer suburb of Eastover but retained ownership of the Elizabeth house as a rental property. William Calhoun McIntire purchased the Lucas House in 1938, where he and his family lived for some thirty years. Starting in 1969, the house changed hands several times and even housed an antique shop for a period of time. In 2005, following a year of renovations, the Lucas House reopened as the Fig Tree Restaurant.