Reimagining Revitalization: Downtown High Point
In the heart of High Point, a powerful transformation is unfolding — and at its center is the strategic investment and clear vision of the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Foundation. Rooted in our mission to address economic development for revitalization and stabilization, the Foundation has taken an intentional and layered approach to revitalizing downtown High Point. These efforts are not just reshaping buildings or businesses — they’re reigniting pride, purpose, and prosperity throughout our city’s core.
The cornerstone of these revitalization efforts was unveiled in 2021 with the opening of Congdon Yards, a vibrant community hub that reimagined former hosiery mills as a center for business innovation, collaboration, and culture. Anchored by a vision of creative entrepreneurship, Congdon Yards brought together nonprofit leaders, startup founders, business professionals, and community members under one roof. The space, which is now home to Business High Point - Chamber of Commerce, The Art Gallery at Congdon Yards, The Generator (a small-scale manufacturing space), The Lofts (event space), Earl’s Landing (high-end dining), and Lil’s Coffee Bar, allows a wealth of connections to be made through mixed-use and common spaces that ignite further development and progress.
But the Foundation’s commitment did not stop at buildings. It expanded outward — and forward — into community, culture, and connectivity in downtown High Point.
A key element in building a vibrant downtown is offering attractions for families and future generations. That’s why the Foundation and family invested in the creation of the Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum, which opened its doors in 2022. The museum has quickly become one of the top attractions in the region, welcoming thousands of families to experience learning through play. Inside, the Congdon Hall of Mysteries invites children into an immersive environment where they solve puzzles using STEM and coding skills. It's not just fun — it's future-focused, helping kids build confidence, creativity, and curiosity in a hands-on, high-tech setting.
In 2024, High Point scored a major win with the launch of Carolina Core FC, a professional soccer club now competing in MLS NEXT Pro, with their home pitch at Truist Point Stadium in downtown High Point. Carolina Core FC has done more than energize local sports fans; it has boosted downtown foot traffic, catalyzed tourism, and offered a new avenue for youth development and economic growth through soccer. The athletics industry in the United States employs over 100,000 people annually, and by offering a step into the world of professional sports careers in High Point, CCFC is bringing that sort of opportunity to our downtown. With three of the Congdon grandchildren as the team’s majority owners, they are using private enterprise to implement the strategy Earl and Kitty created in their foundation: to layer investment in ways that generate not only economic activity, but also emotional connection and long-term opportunity.
The city's capacity to welcome visitors and foster ongoing vibrancy expanded this fall with the opening of the Downtown High Point SpringHill Suites by Marriott at Congdon Yards hotel. This was a strategic investment by the Foundation, as the purchase of the former Paul Roberts showroom was completed in 2019. The property was landbanked, and we searched for just the right-fit hotel developer who would understand the priorities and potential of High Point. The creation of this hotel both reveals the need in High Point to accommodate our growing influx of visitors, and also meets that critical need. From attendees of High Point Market, baseball and soccer games, conferences, community events, and more – this hotel provides a space rooted in High Point’s history that provides a unique lodging experience. Not only that, but this hotel will provide job opportunities and hospitality training to further expand the hospitality ecosystem in our downtown.
The progress doesn’t stop there, however. In 2026, Smitty and Pearls will open its doors on Lindsay Street. This 35,000 square foot resturant and entertainment venue will be unlike anything else in the Triad, creating a space for food connoisseurs, families, and friends to gather and explore three unique restaurant concepts housed under one roof. Smitty and Pearls, envisioned and executed by two of the grandchildren of the Congdon family, demonstrates the family’s continued commitment to High Point through private enterprise endeavors like this, as well as the Foundation’s philanthropic efforts elsewhere. The space will employ nearly 70 individuals, increasing economic opportunities and raising the standards of development in downtown.
These landmark investments — from innovation space, to sports and hospitality — are not isolated. Instead, they are thoughtfully connected through a larger vision of access and movement.
Enter the Heritage Greenway, a project spearheaded by the Southwest Renewal Foundation, a Congdon Foundation grant recipient. This urban greenway will run through the downtown core, stitching together assets like Congdon Yards, Truist Point Stadium, the hotel, High Point University, and neighborhoods throughout southwest High Point. More than just a walking and biking trail, the Heritage Greenway is a living symbol of connection — linking residents to resources, jobs, culture, and their neighbors.
To support this greenway project, the Congdon Foundation is exploring the creation of a public park on the site of the former Stickley Showroom. The park will be adjacent to the greenway, and it will offer residents a place to eat, drink, play with their kids, and connect with each other.
Each of these investments, while remarkable in its own right, is even more powerful in combination. The Congdon Foundation has not simply invested in buildings or events; we have invested in infrastructure, identity, and impact. We have understood that revitalization is not a one-time act — it’s an ecosystem, requiring continuous care and collaboration. There are things the government needs to do, things private enterprise should do, and then there are things that only philanthropy can do.
When we all work together, we can create a downtown that is financially viable, socially inclusive, and community-driven. The Foundation and the family are working together to play their part in turning downtown High Point into a model of what a vibrant, walkable, downtown can be.
In just a few years, the city’s center has gone from overlooked to overflowing — with possibility, potential, and pride. And while the skyline of downtown High Point may be changing, there is still more work to be done. At the Congdon Family Foundation, we belief that every investment in place is ultimately an investment in our people. It’s from this belief that we pose the call: how will you choose to contribute to our city’s growing downtown ecosystem? Where can you put forth time, talents, and resources to see this growth continue to flourish? What are you uniquely positioned to do, in order to see High Point become the city on a hill we know it can be?
Through strategic philanthropy and deep local partnerships, the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Foundation is not only reimagining what downtown High Point looks like — but what it can become for generations to come –– and we invite you to join us.
Read more about our Economic Development Grantees
"When you’re helped out,
it inspires you to help others."
EMILY CAROTHERS, Earl and Kitty Congdon Old Dominion Freight Line Scholarship Recipient
"Compassion is taking action. It’s not being satisfied with the status quo."
Carl Vierling, Greater High Point Food Alliance
Executive Director
"We’re creating our own ecosystem that is poised to turn our home into the “high point” of our state once more."
Rachel Collins, Business High Point
CEO
"All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God."
Deuteronomy 16:17
"Our board is deeply involved in High Point. Their commitment to the city is evident in their desire for the foundation to form real partnerships with our grant recipients, so that we can support them to grow their impact."
Rev. Dr. Joe Blosser,
Chief Impact Officer