Downtown Roanoke
Encyclopedia
Downtown is the central business district
of Roanoke
, Virginia
, United States
. Located geographically at the center of the city, Downtown began its development with the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad
in 1882. Today the Downtown core is noted as the center of business for the Roanoke Valley
, the Roanoke City Market
, the Roanoke Downtown Historic District and many other attractions and amenities.
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
.
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.
, the rail infrastructure was restored and the first municipal structure completed in present-day downtown was a jail.
By 1881 the Shenandoah Valley Railroad
announced that Big Lick would be the southern terminus of its line resulting in the rapid growth and development of the community. With the arrival of the railroad, Big Lick would incorporate as the city of Roanoke in 1882. The rapid growth resulted in the citizens passing a $90,000 bond in 1886 to provide for the infrastructure to support the growing community. With the adequate infrastructure in place, downtown would see a rapid expansion from the area around the present-day Campbell Avenue/Jefferson Street intersection outward.
During the period between the wars, Downtown would continue to prosper and expand outwards. Many new structures were constructed in a variety of contemporary styles. Some of the notable structures completed during this period include the nine-story Boxley Building in 1921, the eleven-story Patrick Henry Hotel
in 1925 and the twelve-story Colonial National Bank in 1927, which stood as the city's tallest through the 1970s. The downtown core would continue to see growth and prosperity through the period immediately following World War II
and into the 1950s.
With the opening of Crossroads Mall in 1961, more shops would close their Downtown doors, with more people choosing to shop outside the city center. Although declining as a retail destination, the 1970s saw a construction boom resulting in a reshaping of the skyline. Both the thirteen-story Crestar Bank Building (now the BB&T Bank Building) and the sixteen-story First National Exchange Bank Building (now the Carilion Administrative Services Building) were completed in 1973 and the fourteen-story Poff Federal Building was completed in 1976, with each still prominent features of the downtown cityscape.
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. By the 1960s the market would begin to decline, hitting its low point in the 1970s. Seen as the key to the revitalization of Downtown, the Design 79 plan was initiated to stimulate the revitalization and redevelopment of the market area. Through its and subsequent plans implementation, the market area was revitalized with the efforts now expanding outside the market area throughout Downtown.
By the early 1990s Downtown would again be reshaped with the completion of both the 21-story Dominion Tower (now the Wells Fargo Tower) in 1991 as the city's tallest structure and the twelve-story Norfolk Southern Building in 1992. By the early 2000s downtown would experience the conversion of many former office buildings, stores and warehouses into residential living units.
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located geographically at the center of the city, Downtown began its development with the completion of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad
Shenandoah Valley Railroad (N&W)
Shenandoah Valley Railroad was a line completed on June 19, 1882 extending down the Shenandoah Valley from Hagerstown, Maryland USA through the West Virginia panhandle into Virginia to reach Roanoke, Virginia and to connect with the Norfolk and Western Railway . The development of this railroad had...
in 1882. Today the Downtown core is noted as the center of business for the Roanoke Valley
Roanoke Valley
The Roanoke Valley in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west...
, the Roanoke City Market
Roanoke City Market Historic District
Roanoke City Market Historic District, also known as City Market District, is a historic district in the Downtown Roanoke area of Roanoke, Virginia....
, the Roanoke Downtown Historic District and many other attractions and amenities.
Location
Geographically, downtown Roanoke is defined by the city as the area bound by Interstate 581Interstate 581
Interstate 581 is a spur off Interstate 81 into Roanoke, Virginia, United States, completely overlapping U.S. Route 220.-Route description:...
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
Carilion Health System
Carilion Clinic, formerly known as Carilion Health System, is a Roanoke, Virginia-based not-for-profit health care organization. Carilion owns and operates eight hospitals in the western part of Virginia...
Community Hospital and the Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Jefferson College of Health Sciences is an independent, private, coeducational, health sciences college located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A....
.
Downtown borders the neighborhoods of the West End
West End, Roanoke, Virginia
West End is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in central Roanoke south of the Norfolk Southern railyard. It borders the neighborhoods of Hurt Park and Mountain View on the west, Downtown on the east, Gilmer on the north across the Norfolk Southern railyard and Old Southwest on the...
on the west, Belmont
Belmont, Roanoke, Virginia
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...
on the east, Gainsboro
Gainsboro, Roanoke, Virginia
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,...
on the north and both Old Southwest
Old Southwest, Roanoke, Virginia
Old Southwest is a neighborhood of the independent city of Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A.. 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...
and South Jefferson
South Jefferson, Roanoke, Virginia
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...
on the south.
History
The initial establishment of the Gainesborough in 1835 was located to the northeast of present-day downtown. The first structures constructed in what is now downtown occurred in the period following the completion of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad line in 1852 to the south of Gainesborough. Now known as Big Lick, during the period of reconstruction following the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the rail infrastructure was restored and the first municipal structure completed in present-day downtown was a jail.
By 1881 the Shenandoah Valley Railroad
Shenandoah Valley Railroad (N&W)
Shenandoah Valley Railroad was a line completed on June 19, 1882 extending down the Shenandoah Valley from Hagerstown, Maryland USA through the West Virginia panhandle into Virginia to reach Roanoke, Virginia and to connect with the Norfolk and Western Railway . The development of this railroad had...
announced that Big Lick would be the southern terminus of its line resulting in the rapid growth and development of the community. With the arrival of the railroad, Big Lick would incorporate as the city of Roanoke in 1882. The rapid growth resulted in the citizens passing a $90,000 bond in 1886 to provide for the infrastructure to support the growing community. With the adequate infrastructure in place, downtown would see a rapid expansion from the area around the present-day Campbell Avenue/Jefferson Street intersection outward.
During the period between the wars, Downtown would continue to prosper and expand outwards. Many new structures were constructed in a variety of contemporary styles. Some of the notable structures completed during this period include the nine-story Boxley Building in 1921, the eleven-story Patrick Henry Hotel
Patrick Henry Hotel
The Patrick Henry Hotel is a Colonial Revival former hotel listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Located at 617 South Jefferson Street at the southern end of Downtown, the Patrick Henry was designed...
in 1925 and the twelve-story Colonial National Bank in 1927, which stood as the city's tallest through the 1970s. The downtown core would continue to see growth and prosperity through the period immediately following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and into the 1950s.
With the opening of Crossroads Mall in 1961, more shops would close their Downtown doors, with more people choosing to shop outside the city center. Although declining as a retail destination, the 1970s saw a construction boom resulting in a reshaping of the skyline. Both the thirteen-story Crestar Bank Building (now the BB&T Bank Building) and the sixteen-story First National Exchange Bank Building (now the Carilion Administrative Services Building) were completed in 1973 and the fourteen-story Poff Federal Building was completed in 1976, with each still prominent features of the downtown cityscape.
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. By the 1960s the market would begin to decline, hitting its low point in the 1970s. Seen as the key to the revitalization of Downtown, the Design 79 plan was initiated to stimulate the revitalization and redevelopment of the market area. Through its and subsequent plans implementation, the market area was revitalized with the efforts now expanding outside the market area throughout Downtown.
By the early 1990s Downtown would again be reshaped with the completion of both the 21-story Dominion Tower (now the Wells Fargo Tower) in 1991 as the city's tallest structure and the twelve-story Norfolk Southern Building in 1992. By the early 2000s downtown would experience the conversion of many former office buildings, stores and warehouses into residential living units.
Structures and districts on the National Register
- Boxley Building
- Campbell Avenue Complex
- Colonial National Bank
- Fire Station No. 1Fire Station No. 1 (Roanoke, Virginia)Fire Station No. 1 is a former fire station listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the Downtown neighborhood of the independent city of Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A. Modeled after Philadelphia's Independence Hall, Fire Station No...
- First National Bank
- Patrick Henry HotelPatrick Henry HotelThe Patrick Henry Hotel is a Colonial Revival former hotel listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Located at 617 South Jefferson Street at the southern end of Downtown, the Patrick Henry was designed...
- Roanoke City Market Historic DistrictRoanoke City Market Historic DistrictRoanoke City Market Historic District, also known as City Market District, is a historic district in the Downtown Roanoke area of Roanoke, Virginia....
- Roanoke Downtown Historic District
- Roanoke Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)
- Roanoke Warehouse Historic District
- Salem Avenue-Roanoke Automotive Commercial Historic District
Other notable places
- Taubman Museum of Art
- Center in the Square
- Virginia Museum of TransportationVirginia Museum of TransportationThe Virginia Museum of Transportation is a museum devoted to the topic of transportation located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A..- History :...
- Wachovia Tower