The Roanoke River and Railroad Historic District is a predominantly industrial area on the north side of the Roanoke River in Roanoke, Virginia. The area is bounded by South Jefferson Street on the west and the Roanoke River to the east, and extends north as far as Albemarle Avenue. The district's resources are defined primarily by their relationship to the railroad tracks that bisect this area. The area was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the completion of the Roanoke & Southern line in 1892 and the

Virginian Railway The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads. History ...

line in 1909, and consists primarily of functional industrial buildings that were built between about 1900 and 1930, an example of which is the Virginia Can Company (built in 1912, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006). Notable exceptions are the

Virginian Railway Passenger Station The Virginian Railway Passenger Station, also known as the Virginian Station is a former rail station listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the South Jefferson neighborhood of the independent city of Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A. Lo ...

, a Spanish Revival passenger station built 1909-10 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003, and the Walnut Street and Jefferson Street bridges, completed in 1927 and 1928, respectively. Both bridges were constructed in the Art Deco style and designed with "Egyptian Babylonian" style decorations. Many of the former industrial buildings located in the district have been demolished as part of a city-led redevelopment plan. Sixteen remaining structures contribute to the historic district, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

References

Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Buildings and structures in Roanoke, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Roanoke, Virginia {{RoanokeCityVA-NRHP-stub

See also

References