Gainsboro, Roanoke, Virginia

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Gainsboro
Hotel Roanoke Front Entrance.jpg
The Hotel Roanoke has been in Gainsboro since 1882.
Coordinates: 37°16′35″N79°56′19.4″W / 37.27639°N 79.938722°W / 37.27639; -79.938722 Coordinates: 37°16′35″N79°56′19.4″W / 37.27639°N 79.938722°W / 37.27639; -79.938722
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
City Roanoke
Elevation
958 ft (292 m)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
24016
Area code 540

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. [1] As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gainsboro has a population of 967 residents. [2]

Contents

History

Gainsboro traces its origins to the 1835 establishment of Gainesborough settlement. [3] Developed by William Rowland, Gainesborough was established as the Roanoke Valley's oldest town, and takes its name from Major Kemp Gaines, who both founded and provided the early financing for the village. [3] The location of the settlement would shift slightly to the southwest after 1852 following the arrival of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad and the establishment of Big Lick. [3]

Referred to as Old Lick between the 1850s and 1880s, what would become present-day Gainsboro began to develop as a predominantly African-American community. [3] In 1882, Old Lick and Big Lick would incorporate as Roanoke, and most of its development which still stands today occurred between 1890 and 1940. [3] It was during this time that the area would develop as the center of Roanoke's African American community with Henry Street serving as the cultural and commercial center of the community. [3]

The urban renewal programs of the 1960s and 1970s displaced many families and businesses in the neighborhood and changed the overall urban fabric and character of the area. [3] Today the neighborhood is seeing redevelopment, especially in the areas surrounding the Hotel Roanoke. Established in the 1970s, the Gainsboro Neighborhood Alliance has served as the citizen advocacy group for the community. [4]

Located in the neighborhood and listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Burrell Memorial Hospital, Gainsboro Historic District, Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library, and Henry Street Historic District. The First Baptist Church was removed after being destroyed by fire in April 1995. [5]

Notable places and persons from Gainsboro

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The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center is a historic hotel located in the Gainsboro neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. Originally built in 1882, the hotel has been rebuilt and expanded many times. The central wing dates to 1938. The hotel is currently owned by Virginia Tech and operated under the Curio Collection by Hilton brand. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

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Henry Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Roanoke, Virginia. It encompasses four contributing buildings constructed between 1917 and 1951. They were developed as the central business and entertainment district for the African-American neighborhood of Gainsboro in Northwest Roanoke. They are the Hotel Dumas (1917), The Strand Theatre (1923), Dr. Lylburn Downing office, and a commercial building (1951).

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

Gainsboro Historic District is a national historic district located of Roanoke, Virginia. It encompasses 202 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure in the African-American neighborhood of Gainsboro in Northwest Roanoke. They include single- and multiple-family dwellings, three churches; one parish hall, the Gainsboro Library, a theater, a hotel, two medical office buildings, six commercial buildings, one industry and one bridge. The buildings were primarily built between 1890 and 1925. Located in the district are the separately listed Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library and Henry Street Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library</span> United States historic place

The Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library, also known as the Gainsboro Library, is a historic library building located in the African-American neighborhood of Gainsboro in Northwest Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1941–1942, and is a one-story, seven-bay, L-plan Tudor Revival style brick building. The library provided African-American residents of Roanoke's segregated Gainsboro neighborhood with a library facility where children and adults could pursue self-education with advice and assistance from competent and dedicated librarians. It replaced Roanoke's first African-American library which had been established in 1921 in a rented commercial storefront space.

John H. Davis was an early African-American newspaper publisher, politician, capitalist and land speculator in Roanoke, Virginia. "He was shrewd and was quite successful in business, and accumulated a considerable sum of money, which he invested in real estate and continued to prosper. … He did all he could for the up-building of his race."

References

  1. "Gainsboro : Neighborhood Plan : Roanoke Virginia". City of Roanoke. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  2. "Gainsboro Neighborhood Plan: Residential Development" (PDF). City of Roanoke Planning Division. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Gainsboro Neighborhood Plan: History" (PDF). City of Roanoke Planning Division. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  4. "Gainsboro Neighborhood Plan: Quality of Life" (PDF). City of Roanoke Planning Division. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.