Hotel Roanoke - Virginia Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Hotel Roanoke was built in a wheat field on a little hill in Roanoke, Virginia. The Hotel began as a rambling wooden structure with less than three dozen rooms. As the city grew, the railroad consistently provided resources for hotel additions, remodeling and furnishings to maintain the Hotel's reputation for excellence. Even in the Depression year of 1931, the railroad spent $225,000 for a wing with 75 rooms, a 60-car garage and such "modern" amenities as circulating ice water, movable telephones and electric fans. By then the Hotel's "Queen Anne" appearance had evolved into something Tudorean, the finishing touches of which were added in the major alterations of 1937-38, when Hotel Roanoke acquired its distinctive facade and entrance. Added too were new public rooms, most of which today's guests will recognize. The history of the Hotel has been carefully preserved over the years.

In 1989, Norfolk Southern Corporation, direct descendant of Kimball's Norfolk and Western Railroad, concluding that its transportation business meant rail service, not room service, closed the Hotel it had owned and operated for 107 years and gave it to the Virginia Tech Real Estate Foundation. After a major renovation an addition of a conference center it reopened in 1995, and is today still welcoming visitors to the Roanoke Valley.
Source/Credit: The Hotel Roanoke

This historical marker stands in one of the Hotels Parking lots locate adjacent to Wells Avenue. The Text of the marker reads.

HOTEL ROANOKE
"The Hotel Roanoke was built n 1882 by the Norfolk and Western Railroad. Over the next century, despite fire and depression, it became the city’s social center. The Tudor Revival building became a beloved landmark for thousands of visitors. Its original 34 rooms had grown to 384 rooms when, in 1989, the N & W donated it to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. After a major renovation an addition of a conference center it reopened in 1995. The Hotel Roanoke was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1995 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1996."

Marker Number: K-98b Marker Title: Hotel Roanoke Marker Location: Ajacent to Wells Avenue County or Independent City: City of Roanoke Web Site: [Web Link] Marker Program Sponsor: Department of Historic Resources - 1996

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