Page 34 - A Narrative of the History of Roanoke Virginia

In addition to its landscaped hilltop setting, portions of the hotel completed in 1931,
1938, 1946, and 1954 survive essentially unaltered when viewed from the exterior.
Ranging in height from three-and-one-half to seven stories, Hotel Roanoke
features public gathering, dining, meeting and entertaining spaces and currently
houses over three hundred guest rooms. Architects historically associated with
surviving portions of the hotel include Knut W. Lind, A.I.A., for George B. Post &
Sons of New York City; and Small, Smith and Reeb of Cleveland, Ohio. Landscape
architect A.A. Farnham, a professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, developed the
1938 design scheme for the hotel site.

The building itself was originally a fine specimen of Queen Anne architecture, with
broad piazzas and splendid halls. Everything within suggests roomy comfort and
delights the artistic eye. A sun parlor, glass walled, faces the city and is decorated
with potted plants, and furnished with all the requisites of a perfect lounging place.
It contains a smoking room for men and a reception room for ladies.

The parlor, which is beautifully decorated and exquisitely furnished, has been of
great service for social affairs, receptions and other functions; its rare beauty and
convenience being one of the striking features of the hotel. The hotel throughout is
equipped with every requisite for the comfort and convenience of guests. The
sleeping apartments are large and are furnished tastefully, and are comfortable in
all respects. There are a number of bath rooms, which are modern and sanitary in
every particular.

The kitchen arrangements are unsurpassed by those of any hotel in the South, and
the facilities are adequate to take care of four hundred guests; as this department
of the hotel was recently enlarged and modernized in all essentials, looking to the
ultimate building of a large addition to the present structure. The hotel is renowned
for its excellent table, as discriminating care is exercised in the purchase of the
best supplies obtainable, while a first-class chef attends to the preparation.

In 1989, Norfolk Southern Corporation, direct descendant of Kimball's Norfolk and
Western Railroad, concluding that its transportation business meant rail service,
not room service, and decided to close the Hotel it had owned and operated for
107 years and deeded the Hotel Roanoke to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University (Virginia Tech) for $65,000.

After the flag lowering ceremony on November 30, the hotel was closed. Sale of
the contents began and continued for 17 days. In 1992, the "Renew Roanoke"
campaign was launched to raise enough money to reopen the hotel. Virginia Tech
had set a deadline of December 31, 1992 to have enough money. By late fall, the
campaign was still short $1,000,000. In an unprecedented Christmas-time
fundraiser, the campaign succeeded, raising $5,006,000. Norfolk Southern then
donated an additional $2,000,000; 30 times what it received for the hotel.