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The Tudor-style hotel has long been one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.
The entrance to Roanoke’s landmark hotel sure looks different today, compared with its appearance in 1917, when this black and white photo was taken.
The massive plant covering the veranda and front stairway leading into the Hotel Roanoke was wisteria, according to hotel spokesman, Michael Quonce. This fragrant flowering plant, typically a lilac or blue color, provided shade from the summer sun, he says.
Now a black awning, lined with white lights, illuminates the entryway to the hotel, which many refer to as the grand dame of downtown’s skyline and one of the most well-known special occasion sites in Roanoke.
Norfolk & Western Railroad built the Tudor-style hotel in 1882 on a former wheat field, housing about three dozen guestrooms. The hotel served as a preferred lodging location for everyone from railroad travelers and businessmen to vacationers drawn to the region’s mountain air.
Through the years, it withstood a fire and a major renovation from 1937 to 1938, when its current entrance was designed.Â
The hotel closed its doors from 1989 to 1995, when Norfolk Southern deeded it to the Virginia Tech Real Estate Foundation. It was restored and remodeled, though many of its looks from the past remained, including antiques in its lobby, the Regency Room dining area and the Pine Room, previously an officers’ club during World War II. It also added 63,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, taking on a new name–the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.
Now, after 136 years, this 330-room hotel seems to have come full circle.Â
Last year, passenger rail service returned to Roanoke. Amtrak built a boarding platform on Norfolk Avenue, adjacent to the Hotel Roanoke, offering travel to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York and more northeast locations.
The Hotel Roanoke’s website prominently features this train service, along with ticket links, as a fitting flashback to its railroad roots.Â
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