Virginian Railway Passenger Station

Virginian Railway Passenger
Station

Station in January 2008
Location 1402 Jefferson St. SE, Roanoke, Virginia
Coordinates 37°15′35″N 79°56′28″W / 37.25972°N 79.94111°W / 37.25972; -79.94111Coordinates: 37°15′35″N 79°56′28″W / 37.25972°N 79.94111°W / 37.25972; -79.94111
Area less than one acre
Built 1909 (1909)
Architectural style Spanish Revival
Part of Roanoke River and Railroad Historic District (#13000994)
NRHP Reference # 03000456[1]
VLR # 128-5461
Significant dates
Added to NRHP May 22, 2003
Designated CP December 24, 2013
Designated VLR March 19, 2003[2]

The Virginian Railway Passenger Station, also known as the Virginian Station is a former rail station listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the South Jefferson neighborhood of the independent city of Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A. Located at the intersection of Jefferson Street SE (VA 116) and Williamson Road, the Virginian Station served as a passenger station for the Virginian Railway between 1910 and 1956.[3] The station was the only station constructed with brick along the entire length of the Virginian's 608 miles (978 km) network.[4] Severely damaged by fire on January 29, 2001,[3] current plans for its restoration are underway.[5][6]

History

Standing at the division point between the New River Division and the Norfolk Division of the Virginian Railway, construction commenced on the Virginian Station in September 1909 and was complete by early 1910.[7] Measuring 162 feet (49 m) long by 32 feet (9.8 m) wide, the station consists of a pair of one-story buildings, connected by a covered overhang and features a tile roof, a blond brick facade and terrazzo floors.[6][7]

Overshadowed by the larger Norfolk & Western Railway, this would serve passengers traveling between West Virginia and Norfolk through 1956 when passenger service was discontinued.[6] By 1959, Virginian would merge with Norfolk & Western, and the former station would be leased out and subsequently operated as a feed and seed store.[6]

By the late 1990s, the station was threatened with demolition to make way for an expansion of the Carilion bio-tech campus resulting in its placement on the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation's 2000 list of Most Endangered Sites.[3] Operating as the Depot Country Store, on January 29, 2001, the former station suffered severe damage as a result of a fire.[3] Despite the extensive damage, the station was cited for both its unique design and contribution to the railroad industry in Roanoke, and has been listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register since April 2003[4] and the National Register of Historic Places since June 2003.[8]

A grass-roots effort to rehabilitate the former station into office space for the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in addition to additional leaseable office space is underway.[5]

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Barlow, Zeke (January 30, 2001). "Fire destroys old railroad station". The Roanoke Times. pp. B4.
  4. 1 2 Harvey, Neil (April 6, 2003). "5 Roanoke-region properties added to Virginia Landmarks Register". The Roanoke Times. pp. A1.
  5. 1 2 Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. "Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society: Virginian Station Project". Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kittredge, Kevin (March 28, 2006). "Rising from the ashes". The Roanoke Times. pp. A1.
  7. 1 2 Virginia Department of Historic Resources (2002). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Virginian Railway Passenger Station District" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  8. ↑ Howell, Isak (June 14, 2003). "Station named to National Register of Historic Places". The Roanoke Times. pp. B1.
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