Page 35 - A Narrative of the History of Roanoke Virginia

The group worked to preserve and restore the hotel's exterior and most of its
important public spaces. As was fitting, at that time, bowing to modern needs, all
guest room interiors were gutted and reconstructed to conform to
late-twentieth-century demands for larger rooms and modernized bathrooms.

Simultaneously, the Hotel Roanoke embraced the future by building a 63,000
square-foot meeting space, featuring state-of-the-art technology and
accommodating more than 1,200 people, evolving into the Hotel Roanoke &
Conference Center.

From Travelers and Locals to Presidents and Beauty Queens, the Hotel Roanoke
was completely remodeled and restored with a new conference center directly
adjacent with a pedestrian bridge Norfolk Southern's railroad tracks to link the
hotel and conference center to downtown Roanoke near the Wachovia Tower.

Re-opening in April of 1995, Hotel Roanoke carefully preserved the past with
touches such as an antique-filled lobby, original Czech-made chandeliers, a
restored Regency Room (home of our signature Peanut Soup), Pine Room
(formerly an Officers' Club in World War II), and the Palm Court, the original ceiling
of which was painted to show the constellations as they appeared in the skies the
day the first train came to Roanoke in 1852.

When the Hotel Roanoke reopened on April 3, 1995 it was then managed by the
DoubleTree chain. Roanoke's landmark former passenger rail station was built
across the street from the hotel. In 2004, it was converted in a museum devoted to
the photography of O. Winston Link as well as housing the Roanoke Valley Visitors
and Convention Bureau. On February 28, 2016, The Hotel Roanoke & Conference
Center transferred within Hilton from the DoubleTree to the Curio - A Collection by
Hilton brand.

It stands, today, as a worthy landmark and iconic skyline edifice identifying the city
of Roanoke, the legacy of the N&W (now the Norfolk Southern Railway) as well as
the Grand Dame herself, the Hotel Roanoke.

Next installment: The grandest building of the New South and Roanoke have
joined forces to make Roanoke and its landmark Hotel Roanoke iconic
representations of the New South. Progress is made on a number of levels,
compromises are developed, and many new businesses come to town. All of
which creates the atmosphere to make Roanoke worth of its new title as “Magic
City Of The South”.