Downtown Roanoke

Last updated
Downtown
Roanoke City (Virginia) from Mill Mountain Star at Dusk.jpg
Downtown from the Mill Mountain Star overlook
Coordinates: 37°16′19″N79°56′21″W / 37.27194°N 79.93917°W / 37.27194; -79.93917
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
City Roanoke
Elevation
925 ft (282 m)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
24011
Area code 540

Downtown is the central business district of Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Developed after the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in 1882, the Downtown core forms the geographic center of the city and the center of business for the Roanoke Valley and Southwest Virginia, the Roanoke City Market, the Roanoke Downtown Historic District and many other attractions and amenities. [1]

Contents

Location

Geographically, downtown Roanoke is defined by the city as the area bound by Interstate 581 on the east, 5th Street to the west, the Norfolk and Western railroad tracks to the north and Day Avenue to the south. This area is the location of the central core and the historic Market District. An additional section of downtown is located south of Day Avenue, bound to the east by the Roy L. Webber Expressway, South Jefferson Street to the west and Albemarle Avenue to the south. This area is the location of the former Carilion Community Hospital and the Jefferson College of Health Sciences. [2]

Downtown borders the neighborhoods of the West End on the west, Belmont on the east, Gainsboro on the north and both Old Southwest and South Jefferson on the south. [3]

History

The first large European settlement in the area was Gainesborough, established in 1835 northeast of present-day downtown. [4] The first structures of today's downtown area, then dubbed Big Lick, were built after the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad line arrived in 1852. Rail infrastructure was damaged during the Civil War but restored in the Reconstruction era. The first municipal structure completed in present-day downtown was a jail. [5]

By 1881, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad announced that Big Lick would be the southern terminus of its line. This galvanized rapid growth and development, and Big Lick incorporated as the city of Roanoke in 1882. [5] In 1886, citizens approved a $90,000 bond issue for infrastructure, which in turn fostered rapid expansion outward from the present-day intersection of Campbell Avenue and Jefferson Street. [5]

Between World Wars I and II, Downtown continued to prosper and expand. Many new structures were constructed in a variety of contemporary styles, including the nine-story Boxley Building in 1921, the 11-story Patrick Henry Hotel in 1925 and the 12-story Colonial National Bank in 1927, which stood as the city's tallest through the 1970s. [5]

The downtown core saw growth and prosperity into the 1950s, [5] but the opening of Crossroads Mall in 1961 led many Downtown shops to close as consumers chose to shop outside the city center. [6]

Despite the decline in retail sales, the 1970s saw a construction boom that reshaped the skyline. The 13-story Crestar Bank Building (now the BB&T Bank Building) and the 16-story First National Exchange Bank Building (now the Carilion Administrative Services Building) were completed in 1973, while the 14-story Poff Federal Building was completed in 1976. [7]

Established in 1882, the Roanoke City Market is the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the Commonwealth of Virginia and forms the central gathering place of the Downtown district. [1] [8] In the 1960s, the market began to decline, hitting its low point in the 1970s. [1] The Design 79 plan was launched to revitalize and redevelop the market area. [1]

In the early 1990s, Downtown was reshaped with the completion in 1991 of the 21-story Dominion Tower (now the Wells Fargo Tower), the city's tallest structure; and the 12-story Norfolk Southern Building the following year. [7]

In the early 2000s, many former office buildings, stores, and warehouses in the neighborhood were converted into residential living units. [9]

Structures and districts on the National Register

Fire Station #1: The Firehouse was in operation from 1907 through 2007. Roanokefirestation1.jpg
Fire Station #1: The Firehouse was in operation from 1907 through 2007.

Other notable places

Related Research Articles

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Roanoke is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is located in Southwest Virginia along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanoke is approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of the Virginia–North Carolina border and 250 miles (400 km) southwest of Washington, D.C., along Interstate 81. At the 2020 census, Roanoke's population was 100,011, making it the most-populous city in Virginia west of the state capital Richmond. It is the primary population center of the Roanoke metropolitan area, which had a population of 315,251 in 2020.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 116</span> State highway in southwestern Virginia, US

State Route 116 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 20.66 miles (33.25 km) from SR 122 at Burnt Chimney north to SR 101 in Roanoke. SR 116 connects northwestern Franklin County with the southeastern part of Roanoke. The state highway forms a major street through Downtown Roanoke and the city's north side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginian Railway Passenger Station (Roanoke, Virginia)</span> United States historic place

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South Jefferson is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in southeast Roanoke, surrounded roughly by the Roanoke River to the south and east and the Roy L. Webber Expressway to the west, centered on South Jefferson Street. It borders the neighborhoods of Old Southwest on the west, Belmont and Downtown on the north, and Riverland/Walnut Hills via the Walnut Street Bridge on the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainsboro, Roanoke, Virginia</span> Roanoke Neighborhood in Virginia, United States

Gainsboro is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in central Roanoke immediately north of Downtown, across the Norfolk Southern Railway right of way, between Interstate 581 and Orange Avenue. It borders the neighborhoods of Harrison and Gilmer on the west, Washington Park on the north, Williamson Road on the east and Downtown Roanoke on the south. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gainsboro has a population of 967 residents.

Belmont is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in southeast Roanoke. It borders the neighborhoods of Hollins and Williamson Road on the north, Morningside and South Jefferson to the south, Downtown on the west and Fallon on the east. Today the neighborhood is bisected by Virginia State Route 24 and is bordered by Interstate 581 to the west.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roanoke Downtown Historic District (Roanoke, Virginia)</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

The Roanoke Downtown Historic District is a national historic district located in the Downtown Roanoke area of Roanoke, Virginia. It encompasses 122 contributing buildings. It includes a variety of commercial, institutional, social, and governmental buildings and structures from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. Notable buildings include the Roanoke City Public Library, the YMCA Central Branch Building, First Christian Church (1925), the Central Church of the Brethren (1924), Tomnes Cawley Funeral Home (1928), Thomas B. Mason Building (1961), Peerless Candy Co., City Hall / Municipal Building (1915), Roanoke Times Building (1892), Anchor Building / Shenandoah Building (1910), Greene Memorial Methodist Church (1890), and United States Post Office and Courthouse (1930). Located in the district are the separately listed Patrick Henry Hotel, Boxley Building, Campbell Avenue Complex Historic District, Colonial National Bank, and First National Bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roanoke City Market Historic District</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

Roanoke City Market Historic District, also known as City Market District, is a national historic district located in the Downtown Roanoke area of Roanoke, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Southwest, Roanoke, Virginia</span> Roanoke Neighborhood in Virginia, United States

Old Southwest is a neighborhood of the independent city of Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Located geographically near the center of the city, Old Southwest was annexed from Roanoke County in 1890 and developed as one of Roanoke's more affluent residential areas. Today the majority of the neighborhood falls within the Southwest Historic District listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxley Building</span> Historic commercial building in Virginia, United States

The Boxley Building is a historic commercial building located in Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1922, during a wave of post-World War I construction in the city. The building is eight stories, and follows a pattern set by other skyscrapers of the time in consisting of three sections similar to a classical column. The bottom section, or pedestal, is one story fronted with granite; the middle section, or shaft, consists of the next six stories built with beige enameled brick; the top section, or capital, is the eighth story fronted with richly decorated terra cotta panels topped with a finely detailed copper cornice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial National Bank (Roanoke, Virginia)</span> Historic commercial building in Virginia, United States

Colonial National Bank, also known as the Colonial-American National Bank and the Colonial Arms Building, is a historic bank and office building located at Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1926–1927, and is a 12-story, granite and gray-enamel brick building in the Neoclassical style. The building's design echoes that of a classical column; its first three stories compose the base, its shaft is composed of the next seven stories of unornamented brick, and the top two stories of ornamented brick are the capital. The building has a three-story annex built in two stages in 1949 and 1959. The structure was Roanoke's tallest building for almost fifty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John's Episcopal Church (Roanoke, Virginia)</span> Historic church in Virginia, United States

St. John's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It was built in 1891–1892, and is a Gothic style limestone church designed by Charles M. Burns of Philadelphia. The building is a nave-plan, clerestory-style church that includes a corner bell tower and a narthex and chapel in the rear. A Tudor Revival style parish house was constructed in 1923. The church's congregation is one of the city's oldest, and has included many prominent local, state, and national leaders. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainsboro Branch Library</span> Historic library in Roanoke, Virginia, US

The Gainsboro Branch Library is a historic library building located in the Gainsboro neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It was built in 1941–1942 and is a one-story, seven-bay brick building built with an L-plan and gabled roof, and designed in the Tudor Revival style. The library's history dates to 1921 as the fourth established African American library in the Southern United States. It is home to a significant Black history collection that was gradually amassed by longtime librarian Virginia Lee. After being told by city officials to remove the items, Lee hid them instead and kept them available for patrons. The collection is now on display in a room dedicated for and named after Lee, and the library has seen recognition for its role in preserving the area's African American heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal Spring Steam Pumping Station</span> United States historic place

The Crystal Spring Steam Pumping Station is a historic pumping station located at Roanoke, Virginia, in the United States. It was built in 1905, and is a one-story building constructed in common-bond brick. The building houses a Corliss-type pump made by the Snow Steam Pump Company in Buffalo, New York. At its peak, the pump provided 5,000,000 US gallons (19,000 m3) of water daily. It was in operation from 1905 to 1957, and was an important source of fresh water in Roanoke's early history.

Frye and Chesterman was an American architectural firm formed in 1900 by partners Edward Graham Frye (1870–1942) and Aubrey Chesterman (1874–1937) with offices in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1913 the firm moved to Roanoke, Virginia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "City Market District Plan: Historic Context" (PDF). Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  2. "Outlook Roanoke- The Downtown Area Plan". City of Roanoke Planning Division. Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  3. "Explore Roanoke Neighborhood Map: Downtown". City of Roanoke Department of Neighborhoods. Retrieved 2008-08-04.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "Gainsboro Neighborhood Plan: History" (PDF). City of Roanoke Planning Division. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Blanton, Allison Stone (March 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Roanoke Downtown Historic District District" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  6. "Williamson Road Area Plan: Development History" (PDF). City of Roanoke Planning Division. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  7. 1 2 "High-rise Buildings of Roanoke". Emporis. Archived from the original on April 9, 2013. Retrieved 2008-08-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. "Welcome to Roanoke Farmer's Market". Roanoke Farmer's Market. Archived from the original on 2009-05-18. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  9. "Downtown Living: Its Time Has Come". The Roanoker. Archived from the original on 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-08-04.