Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/16/1982
NRHP Listing Date 03/29/1983
NRHP Reference Number 83003313
The Roanoke Warehouse Historic District, also known as Wholesale Row, consists of a block of five warehouses between Norfolk Avenue, S.W. and the railroad tracks, all erected between 1889 and 1902 for the storage of wholesale food in transit. Closely identified with Roanoke’s emergence at the turn of the century as the wholesale capital of Southwest Virginia, the district’s buildings exemplify the functional tradition of early industrial warehouse design. The brick structures have powerful rectangular lines, rows of deep-set segmental-arched windows, and iron door and window moldings. Their structural systems incorporate post-and-beam timber supports and cast tie-rods. Structural systems are also expressed by the framing of the bays with brick piers. Two of the warehouses have a conspicuous outline with their stepped-gabled roofs, giving them a north European flavor.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: August 6, 2021
