Page 37 - A Narrative of the History of Roanoke Virginia

types of businesses in the country. To put it simply, they build railroad cars and
locomotives. They were master builders of powerful steam engines. But they
converted to diesel early on. They supply many of the rail needs to carriers
throughout the country. Even after N&W (then N&S) railways pulled their national
headquarters out of Roanoke, the ‘SHOPS’ as it was known, still remains a valuable
asset to the city. At a time when major economic upheavals (such as the closing of
the American Viscose Plant in Roanoke) the shops provided continued employment
and tax revenue for the city.

Roanoke is so diversified in its service, manufacturing and technology industries now
that it is relatively insulated from economic downturns such as occur in cities and
towns dependent on single industries for their survival.

Still, at this time, as local businessmen had feared, all the new development and
much housing went up east of what had been Big Lick. The hotel, depot, and railroad
offices were more than a half mile from Franklin Road, and the machine shops, iron
works, and company housing were spread out about a mile away. In fact, even to this
day, the ‘shops’ are known to many as “THE EAST END SHOPS”.

The land division between old town (Big Lick, Franklin Road, old line commercial
establishments) and new town (the area towards Vinton and Bonsack with the east
end shops, the N&W offices, the rail line depots and the hotel) consisted of open land.
It was a bottom area covered in woodlands and pastures and it separated what had
been Big Lick from “new town,” Let’s call it a void, as if two countries existed
side-by-side yet there was a no-man’s land or empty zone between the two. It was
called the bottom-land. The problem that existed because the railroad chose to build
their town east of Big Lick was quite simply solved with time (a mercifully short time
actually), without the painful dissension and rancor that could have easily occurred
between the two factions.

Since, the RL&IC owned most of the bottom-land, it saw an opportunity that was
self-serving it its own way but nevertheless it unwittingly solved a problem). To
facilitate growth in this vacant zone, it put in new roads, extended Railroad, Salem,
and Campbell Avenues down from Big Lick, and channeled sections of the Long Lick
bog running through the tract.

Why? It wisely realized that with the influx of new businesses coming to town to take
advantage of the prestige, growth possibilities and a plethora of new customers,
these new businesses would want locations convenient to residents in each area. As
such, the newcomers ignored the old business district on the portion of Franklin Road
called Commerce Street as well as the available spots further east which the ‘old
town’ customers would not travel to. As a result, they wanted to set up their shops,
stores, services and businesses along the new roads in what was fast becoming the
NEW downtown Roanoke. The result was that the newly created area (formerly
vacant) that was developed by the RL&IC, created a commercial and retail center
that eventually emerged between the settlements that linked them together.

Developing the town’s new business district spurred additional growth, and by the