Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation Preservation (RVPF) has selected the Blue Ridge PBS documentary “The Grand Old Lady on the Hill” as one of the recipients of its 2018 Kegley Preservation Awards. For the first time, the Foundation also honored George Kegley by naming the awards for him. He is a founding member of the RVPF.
The Foundation has selected recipients in the categories of Heritage Education, Advocacy & Education, Historic Rehabilitation, Revitalization, and Adaptive Reuse were named at the ceremony, held at Monterey House and Quarters on the Roanoke College campus, one of the award recipients. Roanoke College says the “Monterey Quarters will serve as a Center for the Study of the Structures of Race.”
The Blue Ridge PBS award the hour-long documentary centered on the Hotel Roanoke. It was written and produced by Lisa Fenderson, in partnership with the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center and based on the 1994 book by Don and Ann Piedmont, “Peanut Soup & Spoonbread: An Informal History of Hotel Roanoke.”
Other winners include:
Adaptive Reuse—Salem Motor Lofts, Salem Body Shop by Ed Walker and Brent Cochran
The lofts were built in 1928 for the New Central Motor Company as its sales room and service center. The West Salem Body Shop opened in the building in 1961. In 2017, Walker and Cochran began to rehabilitate the building for residential and commercial use. The $4.2 million project was completed in 2019 with two restaurants and short-term rental units on the upper floor.
Advocacy and Education—Carilion Healthstorian Project, Mobile Oral History Program by Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine’s Dr. David Trinkle
Physicians and healthcare professionals are being interviewed with the plan that they will become podcasts for VTC School of Medicine. The collection of oral histories from all over the area seek to fill gaps in our history, particularly through stories from under-represented populations including the African-American, immigrant, and LBGTQ communities and those affected by the current opioid crisis.
Historic Rehabilitation—Villa Heights, Restoration Housing, Isabel Thornton, Executive Director
Villa Heights, one of Roanoke’s oldest homes (1820) has been restored. It was built by Lt. Colonel Elijah McClanahan who served in War of 1812 and was one of the first settlers in the area. Villa Heights will again serve as a Neighborhood Center with several non-profits leasing space.
Revitalization—Wasena Main Street, Garland Properties, John Garland
A once-vibrant area fell on hard times, but has become a busy area again with the redevelopment of several spaces.
Heritage Education—Evans Mill & Crystal Spring Historic Marker, Roanoke Committee, Colonial Dames of America, Barbara Johnson and Lee Woody
The Roanoke Committee of the Colonial Dames of America was the catalyst and major underwriter for the installation of the historic panel on Jefferson St. & McClanahan St. that describes the history of Evans Mill and Crystal Spring.
Historic Rehabilitation—115 Mountain Avenue, Bob Clement and Tim Taylor, owners
The building was built in 1900 as a Queen Anne Style home where the Marsteller’s lived until he sold it at auction in 1925. For 94 years the home was multiple family until Clement Taylor purchased it in 2004. It has been renovated into a single family home again and the grounds have been replanted.
Historic Rehabilitation—Monterey House & Quarters Roanoke College by Whitney Leeson and Mark Miller
Built in 1852, the slave quarters located just behind Monterey was acquired by Roanoke College in 2001. The structure functioned as an archaeology lab and storage area for field equipment before students from the Intellectual Inquiry course “Historic Preservation: Monterey” documented the structure and removed all non-historic materials such as plumbing, electrical, and wallboard components in preparation for a visit by Joseph McGill and the Slave Dwelling Project in November 2017. Since then, a team from Southwest Restoration led by Aerial Clark has restored the upper floor and rebuilt the bottom floor as structural circumstances dictated.
Heritage Education: Lewis and Clark Eastern Legacy Trail, Peggy Crosson
Peggy Crosson in 2009 began efforts to bring awareness to the eastern trails of Lewis and Clark. A re-creation of the 258-mile long Virginia part of the trail begins in Bristol and heads northward through Virginia.
Adaptive Reuse—The Billy Byrd Apartments, Waukeshaw Development, Inc.
Originally built in 1933, William Byrd High School was once bustling with students in Vinton. It was vacated in 2010 and was empty until 2017. As a historic tax credit project, the renovation retained the historic fabric of the. The former school has been adapted and is now home to a lively loft community of 85 apartments.
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
