Uptown Charlotte resembled a ghost town during the height of the pandemic.

What You Need To Know

  • The Ally building is one of a number of Uptown skyscrapers under construction during COVID-19, despite very few company employees actually working in-person

  • Crescent Communities said the expectation is companies will only cut their amount of office space around 10%

  • Work on the Ally Charlotte Center will continue this year, and the building will open in phases

But as many employees worked from home, construction boomed as companies built new skyscrapers.

“I can't wait to get people in here so that they can see all these great collaborative areas we have,” said Ally Financial Business Administration Executive Ali Summerville.

Summerville has spent much of the past year working out of her laundry room at home. But the company, which has its corporate office in Charlotte, is finishing work on its new 25-story office building on South Tryon Street in Uptown.

“We actually designed it so we have amenities on all the floors that we'd like you to come sit on a space where your desk might not be located — with the idea that you can be around a lot of other people," Summerville said.

The Ally building is one of a number of Uptown skyscrapers under construction during COVID-19, despite very few company employees actually working in-person.

“We never really expected that we wouldn't occupy this office. We always knew we were going to be back,” Summerville said.

But what coming back looks like is anyone's guess.

“You can't create a culture from a work from home environment,” said Crescent Communities President of Commercial Development Brendan Pierce.

The real estate company works with many businesses in Uptown.

“You've got to give a reason for employees to come back into the office,” Pierce said. “The more amenities you can provide to your employees, the more they are going to want to come back into the office.”

Pierce said companies have found productivity has dropped as people work at home. He said the expectation is companies will only cut their amount of office space around 10%, which could lead to a mix of at-home and in-person work.

“The need to be together in one space is something that these companies recognize is important for their long term health and future,” Pierce said.

Summerville said they don't know exactly what work will look like in the next year, but what she is confident about is that Uptown will return.

“Central business district is so important to Charlotte as a whole ... once we know it's safe ... I really think we will see most companies bringing their companies back,” Summerville said.

Work on the Ally Charlotte Center will continue this year, and the building will open in phases.