The story below is a preview from our January/February 2018 issue. For the full story Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
The view from the Mill Mountain Star has changed a little since its humble beginnings, but the architecture, both new and old, continue to enhance the iconic cityscape.
The view of Roanoke from Mill Mountain is the most well-known in the Star City. From the overlook deck beneath the symbolic Mill Mountain Star, people see houses, businesses, roadways and remnants of the city’s past and present.
The view has changed since the 1960s, when this photo was taken. But some sights are the same.
There is the top of the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, peeking out from the edge of downtown. Nearby the tall, slender cathedral of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, built in the early 1900s, remains a historic landmark.
You can’t miss Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital, now home to Carilion’s inpatient rehabilitation facility and the Jefferson College of Health Science at the corner of Jefferson Street and Elm Avenue.
There are some notable newcomers to today’s view. The 21-story Wells Fargo Tower, the tallest building in Roanoke and in Southwest Virginia, was built in 1991 and has had several different names since then.
Nearby, the silver edge of the Taubman Museum of Art juts out to Williamson Road. The museum opened in 2008, drawing criticism that its urban design did not fit with downtown Roanoke’s cityscape.
One landmark, beloved by many Roanokers, has been missing from this view since 2006. The historic Victory Stadium, situated to the left of downtown at the foot of Mill Mountain, was demolished that year. The stadium is most known for hosting an annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Virginia Tech and Virginia Military Institute, as well as numerous high school games and a yearly Fourth of July music celebration.
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