The Roanoker March/April 2024 - 98
Then & Now
Roanoke Courthouse
written by Jenny K. Boone
Follow Roanoke's legal journey from Rorer Hall in 1878 to the present Oliver W. Hill Justice Center,
capturing key architectural shifts and historical landmarks.
R
oanoke's court system has a long history.
The city's first court proceedings were held in Rorer Hall,
a two-story wooden building at Campbell Avenue and Third
Street in downtown Roanoke. It opened in 1878, and was
known as the Opera House. It also was home to government
offices and some civic activities, according to historic accounts.
By 1888, the city had a new dedicated courthouse building - a
red brick Victorian style structure on Campbell Avenue, as seen in
this photo.
More than 20 years later, space constraints forced the city to raze
the courthouse and build a new one at Campbell Avenue and Second
Street. The new courthouse, made of white brick and limestone, opened
in 1916. It was the city's primary justice seat until 1980. That's when
the present day $10 million courthouse on Church Avenue was built.
The Church Avenue courthouse is the first to house all three
courts in the city - circuit, general district and juvenile and domestic
relations. In 2019, the city renamed the courthouse the Oliver W.
Hill Justice Center. Hill was a Roanoke native and historic civil
rights lawyer.
Meanwhile, the former Campbell Avenue courthouse, now the
Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building, still has a commanding presence
downtown, with its white columns and long front steps. The prominent
structure, considered a state and local landmark, houses Roanoke's
government offices. I
JENNY KINCAID BOONE is a Roanoke-based freelance writer and former business journalist. She is a Roanoke College and Northwestern University graduate who is passionate
about exercise and chai latte.
98 MARCH/APRIL 2024
TheRoanoker.com
ANA MORALES / ARCHIVAL IMAGE COURTESY OF THE VIRGINIA ROOM, ROANOKE PUBLIC LIBRARIES
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker March/April 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker March/April 2024
The Roanoker March/April 2024 - Cover1
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The Roanoker March/April 2024 - Cover3
The Roanoker March/April 2024 - Cover4
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