Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 03/17/2016
NRHP Listing Date 05/12/2016
NRHP Reference Number 16000263
Built in 1951, the Roanoke City Health Center was designed to reflect a nationwide shift in public healthcare after World War II. With federal funding under the Hill-Burton Act, public health centers were constructed to provide adequate and accessible healthcare to the public, particularly in underserved rural areas. These new centers contained assembly areas, immunization and dental clinics, examination and treatment rooms, and laboratories that corresponded to a new healthcare approach that emphasized education, diagnostic and preventative intervention, and progressive treatment. The functional and unadorned design of the Roanoke City Health Center exemplifies the impact of government-prescribed design standards and the dominance of the International Style in creating clean, efficient new public medical facilities in the mid-20th century. Its original design also conformed to Virginia’s segregation era, which required separate accommodations for whites and African Americans. Although later integrated, the building’s high level of integrity and relatively few alterations serves to illustrate the design practices of the segregation era.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: October 15, 2021
