(rshsdepot) Roanoke, VA

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Roanoke station on endangered sites list
The station closed in 1959 when the Virginian merged with Norfolk and
Western Railway, which became Norfolk Southern.

By KATHY LU
THE ROANOKE TIMES



   Roanoke's Virginian Railway Station is nothing if not endangered.

    In 2000, the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation named the station
one of the valley's most endangered sites.

    In 2001, it was named one of the most endangered stations in the country
by Great American Station Foundation, a national nonprofit organization
dedicated to revitalizing defunct rail passenger stations.

    Now the Preservation Alliance of Virginia has put the station on its
2002 list of Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places. The announcement
was made Tuesday in Richmond as part of this week's National Preservation
Week .

    "It's one of the few remaining railway stations from that period," said
George Edwards, executive director of the alliance. "It's an excellent
example of good design."

    Built in 1909, the railway station on South Jefferson Street was the
only brick station along Virginian Railway's 608-mile system from Deepwater,
W.Va., south of Charleston, to Tidewater. It is the oldest structure on that
route.

    The station closed in 1959 when the Virginian merged with Norfolk and
Western Railway, which became Norfolk Southern. The building most recently
housed a feed and seed business until a fire gutted it in January 2001,
leaving gaping holes in the roof. Since then, the Roanoke Valley
Preservation Foundation has been negotiating with Norfolk Southern to buy
the building.

    "We hope this will help our case," said Alison Blanton, foundation
president, about Tuesday's announcement. "This underscores the importance of
the building and the real threat to it."

    Although the Preservation Alliance of Virginia is about 18 years old,
this is only the second time it has announced a list of the state's
endangered historic sites. Roanoke's Ebony Club was on the first list, which
came out in 2000.

    More than 40 citizens and groups from across Virginia, including the
Roanoke foundation, submitted nominations to the alliance for this year's
list, Edwards said. A committee that included preservation consultants and
architects made the final selections based on location, diversity of
property types, historical significance and type of threat.

    Edwards said the Virginian Railway Station has one of the brightest
futures on the list.

    "We hope it might be a good model for Norfolk Southern in disposing of
other railroad properties," Edwards said. "Our end result is to achieve a
save."


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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