The Roanoker May/June 2024 - 112

BEST RENOVATION
OF AN HISTORIC
BUILDING
STEM Building
at VWCC
Allison Blanton of the Roanoke Valley
Preservation Foundation picked Fire
Station No. 1, explaining, " The GeorgianRevival
style landmark with its bell tower
stood as testimony to the rapid growth
and prosperity of the city. After 100
years in operation, the fire station closed
in 2007 and stood vacant for more than
a decade. In 2019, Old School Partners
purchased the landmark building from the
City of Roanoke and proceeded with a
$2.725 million renovation project to return
the building to public use.
" Utilizing state and federal historic tax
credits, the team carefully preserved the
interior and exterior of the building including
the character-defining plan elements
of the open apparatus and repair bays on
the first floor and fire chief's office and
bedroom and the crew bunkroom on the
second floor.
" Historic features and fabric such as
the brass firepoles, the bricks gnawed by
horses in the early days, grooved concrete
floors for traction, the decorative tin
ceilings, floating stairs and steel hoists in
the original second floor haylofts, as well
as original lockers and wood trim throughout
were preserved while sensitively providing
upgrades to accommodate the new
use and meet current building code.
" Old School Partners donated a preservation
easement on the building to the
Virginia Historic Resources Board to
ensure perpetual protection of this local
landmark. Today, the iconic Fire Station
No. 1 has a new life with retail space for
TXTUR, a local furniture company, and
Stock, a restaurant on the first floor, as
well as lodging on the second floor. "
Fire Station No. 1,
renewed
explaining that " I would've done a couple of
things differently but it is still a solid, well done
renovation. "
Rokicki also likes Liberty Trust. " The ashlar
stone and classical proportions of the 1910
Liberty Trust Building have always been a
favorite 'what if' daydream for me. The recent
renovation into a boutique hotel did not disappoint.
The Vault restaurant is world class with
its celebration of the full height main level,
colossal interior columns, original vault doors
and sensitive interior design. "
Witter selected the Freedom First
Warehouse renovation at the intersection of
Elm Avenue and Williamson Road because of
its " successful adaptive reuse. "
Dorlini was impressed by Fire Station No.
1's " great job of keeping historic parts of the
interior intact like the old blackboard
from the original fire station,
hay pulleys, etc. "
Taubman Museum of Art
BEST INSTITUTIONAL
BUILDING
Weiss was all over this one: " The Taubman
Museum of Art is both the best and worst
building in Roanoke. I applaud the innovation,
particularly on the exterior (still find it to be a
bit of a Frank Gehry knock-off) but except for
the one awkward hooked 'curve' I think it's successful.
There are a lot of missed opportunities
on the interior. With all of the dynamic shapes
on the exterior, I think it would have been more
successful if those forms were expressed threedimensionally
on the interior. "
Hill's choice is Vinton Library, " a recent
exemplary model of downtown planning
implementation. It is a stunning architectural
statement that brings the town, and beyond,
together. "
Rokicki agrees, after a fashion. The
Taubman " is truly a building
to appreciate in any
number of poses
(you may have to
experience this to
understand it), but
I'm now convinced
that the building is
the embodiment of
112 MAY/JUNE 2024
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The Roanoker May/June 2024

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