Virginian Railway Passenger Station

Infobox nrhp
name = Virginian Railway Passenger
Station
nrhp_type =


caption = Station in January 2008
lat_degrees = 37
lat_minutes = 15
lat_seconds = 35.0424
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 79
long_minutes = 56
long_seconds = 27.744
long_direction = W
locmapin=Virginia
location = Roanoke, VA
nearest_city =
area =
built = 1909-1910
architect =
architecture = Spanish Revival
designated =
added = 2003
established =
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum = 03000456
mpsub =
governing_body =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. Located at the intersection of Jefferson Street SE (VA 116) and Williamson Road, the Virginian Station served as a passenger station for the Virginian Railroad between 1910 and 1956.cite news
last =Barlow
first =Zeke
coauthors =
title =Fire destroys old railroad station
work =The Roanoke Times
pages =B4
date =January 30, 2001
url =
accessdate = ] The station was the only station constructed with brick along the entire length of the Virginian's convert|608|mi|km network.cite news
last =Harvey
first =Neil
coauthors =
title =5 Roanoke-region properties added to Virginia Landmarks Register
work =The Roanoke Times
pages =A1
date =April 6, 2003
url =
accessdate = ] Severely damaged by fire on January 29, 2001, current plans for its restoration are underway.cite web
url = http://roanokenrhs.org/VGNStation.html
title = Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society: Virginian Station Project
accessdate = 2008-03-15
author = Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society] cite news
last =Kittredge
first =Kevin
coauthors =
title =Rising from the ashes
work =The Roanoke Times
pages =A1
date =March 28, 2006
url =
accessdate = ]

History

Standing at the division point between the New River Division and the Norfolk Division of the Virginian Railway, construction commenced on the Virginian Station in September 1909 and was complete by early 1910.cite web|last=Virginia Department of Historic Resources|first=|title=National Register of Historic Places nomination, Virginian Railway Passenger Station District|url=http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Roanoke/NR_Roanoke_VirginianRailwayStation_128-5461_text.pdf 2002|accessdate=2008-03-15] Measuring convert|162|ft|m long by convert|32|ft|m wide, the station consists of a pair of one-story buildings, connected by a covered overhang and features a tile roof, a blond brick facade and terrazzo floors.

Overshadowed by the larger Norfolk & Western Railway, this would serve passengers traveling between West Virginia and Norfolk through 1956 when passenger service was discontinued. By 1959, Virginian would merge with Norfolk & Western, and the former station would be leased out and subsequently operated as a feed and seed store.

By the late 1990s, the station was threated with demolition to make way for an expansion of the Carilion bio-tech campus resulting in its placement on the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation's 2000 list of Most Endangered Sites. Operating as the Depot Country Store, on January 29, 2001, the former station suffered severe damage as a result of a fire. Despite the extensive damage, the station was cited for both its unique design and contribution to the railroad industry in Roanoke, and has been listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register since April 2003 and the National Register of Historic Places since June 2003.cite news
last =Howell
first =Isak
coauthors =
title =Station named to National Register of Historic Places
work =The Roanoke Times
pages =B1
date =June 14, 2003
url =
accessdate = ]

A grass-roots effort to rehabilitate the former station into office space for the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in addition to additional leaseable office space is underway.

References

External links

* [http://roanokenrhs.org/index.html Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society] official website