Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/19/1991
NRHP Listing Date 08/23/1991
NRHP Reference Number 91001083
The parish of St. John’s Episcopal Church traces its origins to the 1830s when the Rev. Nicholas Hamner Cobbs of Bedford began ministering in the Roanoke Valley. With Roanoke’s rapid urbanization at the end of the 19th century, St. John’s became the largest Episcopal parish in Southwest Virginia. In 1891-92 the congregation erected the present church, designed by Charles M. Burns of Philadelphia with William C. Noland as resident architect. The rugged stone building is one of the region’s most literate works of the Late Gothic Revival and displays the scholarship and craftsmanship inherent in this architectural movement. The cynosure of the lofty interior is the rhythmic timberwork of the hammer-beam ceiling, aisles, and clerestory. Stained-glass windows by the Tiffany and Lamb studios also highlight the space. In 1919, St. John’s became the headquarters of the newly created Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. It is located in Roanoke’s Southwest Historic District.
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: October 15, 2021
