Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/14/1998
NRHP Listing Date 01/27/1999
NRHP Reference Number 99000076
Norfolk & Western Railway Company Historic District contains three buildings unified by their historical connection to the Norfolk & Western Railway. The district lies north of the principal Roanoke business core, situated adjacent to the railroad tracks and the Hotel Roanoke. The 1896 General Office Building-South (GOB) is a sophisticated example of neoclassical architecture, while the 1931 GOB-North represents the Art Deco period and mirrors certain details of the Chrysler Building in New York City. Similarities include its vertical emphasis, geometrically patterned brickwork, and pre-cast stone and cast-aluminum details. The neoclassical 1905 Passenger Station was a brick, symmetrical, structure with a central portico and a terra-cotta hipped roof. In 1949, the internationally respected industrial designer Raymond Loewy redesigned the station into a hybrid Moderne-style structure retaining the footprint and the roof, and renovated the portico. The three buildings stand as visual, commercial, and architectural landmarks to the history of the railroad in southwestern Virginia.
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
