The Hindu Center of Charlotte, North Carolina: Immigrant Place Making Through Religious Space in the US

This thesis examines the relationship between the Hindu Center of Charlotte and the built fabric of the greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg region, asking whether “preservation” can become a tool to not only recognize but also ensure the longevity of the impact of South Asian immigrants in the built fabric of the American landscape. Although the main Hindu temple of the Hindu Center of Charlotte is not yet fifty years of age, constituting it as “historic” according to preservation policy in the US, it is a unique building worthy of the preservation field's attention. It represents how South Asian immigrants have created place by forever altering the American built environment through transnational processes and simultaneously developing uniquely new identities as South Asian Americans. This thesis is split into three parts: Historical Context, The Hindu Center of Charlotte, and In Terms of “Preservation.” The first section provides background on both the South Asian community as well as the Hindu community in the United States. The second section analyzes the material history of the Hindu temple as well as its social history and importance through observation and ethnographic methods. The final section looks at preservation discourse and proposes methods of planning and policy for specifically immigrant religious space. I conclude by asking: how can the temple be a model for other minority communities and religious spaces?