Historical Society of Western Virginia

Black-and-white aerial view of a tall office tower with a pyramid-topped roof beside rail yards and a curving highway ramp.

One Year in Roanoke: 1991

The Dominion Tower went up as the Hunter Viaduct was coming down.
Black-and-white historic photo of the American Theatre, with its vertical marquee sign and multi-story facade with fire escapes.

One Year in Roanoke: 1971

The American Theatre, circa 1927, was at the corner of South Jefferson Street and Kirk Avenue SW. The marquee advertises the silent movie “Thirteenth Hour.”
A vintage black-and-white photo of a man in a suit standing before a Dr Pepper Bottling Co. building with a large bottle-cap sign.

One Year in Roanoke: 1957

It was a great year for happiness – for Dr Pepper and in Roanoke’s celebrating its 75th birthday.
Ox-drawn wooden wagon with four men and a boy outside a brick storefront in an old sepia photograph.

One Year in Roanoke: 1890

A three-foot snowfall was both the symbol and start of an economic collapse
One Year in Roanoke 1934

One Year in Roanoke: 1934

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Virginia Governor George C. Peery, and Sixth District Congressman Clifton Alexander Woodrum rode in a Packard Phaeton to the V.A. dedication ceremony.
Black-and-white view of a three-story brick building with steep gabled roofs, tall windows, and a utility pole in front.

One Year in Roanoke: 1915

Burrell Memorial Hospital opens to serve Roanoke’s African-American community.
Black-and-white view of streetcar number 47 on a tree-lined street, with bare trees and overhead wires.

One Year in Roanoke: 1948

After a 60-year run that began with mule power, the age of the Roanoke streetcar came to an end.
One Year in Roanoke 1926

One Year in Roanoke: 1926

Memorial Bridge was dedicated, but not until after protests by veterans that it was merely a city improvement rather than a true memorial.

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