Hotel Roanoke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center |
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The 1938 main wing
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| Hotel chain | Curio Collection by Hilton |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Tudorbethan |
| Address | 110 Shenandoah Ave. NW |
| Town or city | Roanoke, Virginia |
| Country | United States |
| Opened | 1882 |
| Owner | Virginia Tech |
| References | |
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Hotel Roanoke
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 110 Shenandoah Ave., Roanoke, Virginia |
| Area | 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) |
| Built | 1882 |
| Architect | Post, George B., and Sons; Small, Smith and Reeb |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000033 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 16, 1996 |
The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center is a famous and historic hotel. It is located in the Gainsboro neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. The hotel first opened its doors in 1882. Since then, it has been rebuilt and made bigger many times. The main part of the hotel you see today was built in 1938.
Today, Virginia Tech owns the hotel. It is managed by the Curio Collection by Hilton brand. This beautiful building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. This means it's an important historical site.
Contents
The Hotel Roanoke's Story
How It All Began (1882-1931)
The first Hotel Roanoke was built in 1882. The Norfolk and Western Railway company built it. They had just opened their offices in Roanoke. This brought many railroad workers to the city.
A Philadelphia architect named George T. Pearson designed the hotel. He used the Tudor Revival style. The hotel officially opened on Christmas Day, 1882.
In 1890, a new main section was added. It was built on the western side of the hotel. This new part replaced the middle section of the original 1882 building.
In July 1898, a fire started in the kitchen. It burned the second and third floors of the 1890 main section. The hotel had to close for several months. It was fixed and reopened in January 1899.
In 1916, the last part of the original 1882 building was moved. It was placed at the back of the hotel. This made room for a new section. This new part was designed by a Roanoke company. In 1931, the old 1882 section was finally taken down. A small new section was built in its place. This small 1931 section is the oldest part of the hotel still standing today.
Big Changes and New Looks (1938-1954)
The hotel changed a lot in 1938. The 1890/1898 main section was taken down. A new central section was built in its place. This new part is the main building you see today. It has the hotel's tower, lobby, and public rooms.
Knut W. Lind designed this new main section. He was from a famous New York company. In 1946, the 1916 eastern section was taken down. A bigger section was built there. This new part was designed by a company from Ohio. In 1954, the same company added a small part to the back of the 1938 main section. This gave the hotel its current shape.
A New Chapter (1983-Today)
In 1983, some hotel employees went on strike. This lasted for six months. After the strike, the hotel did not want to hire back 36 workers. But the National Labor Relation Board said they had to. The board found that not hiring them back was against labor laws.
In 1989, the Norfolk Southern Railway gave the Hotel Roanoke to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). They sold it for $65,000. The hotel closed on November 30, 1989. Its contents were sold off over 17 days.
In 1992, a campaign called "Renew Roanoke" started. Its goal was to raise money to reopen the hotel. Virginia Tech needed enough money by December 31, 1992. By late fall, they were still missing $1 million. But during Christmas, the campaign succeeded! They raised $5.006 million. Then, Norfolk Southern gave another $2 million.
The Hotel Roanoke was completely fixed up. This cost $28 million. A new conference center was also built next to it. This cost $13 million. A bridge was built over the railroad tracks. It connects the hotel and conference center to downtown Roanoke. The Hotel Roanoke reopened on April 3, 1995. It was managed by the DoubleTree hotel chain.
The old train station was across the street from the hotel. In 2004, it became a museum. It shows photos by O. Winston Link. It also has the Roanoke Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau.
On February 28, 2016, The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center joined the Curio Collection by Hilton brand. It had been part of DoubleTree before.
Famous Visitors
The Hotel Roanoke has hosted many meetings and events. It has also welcomed many famous people, including:
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (a former U.S. President)
- Richard Nixon (a former U.S. President)
- Gerald Ford (a former U.S. President)
- Jimmy Carter (a former U.S. President)
- Ronald Reagan (a former U.S. President)
- George H. W. Bush (a former U.S. President)
- Douglas MacArthur (a famous general)
- Mahalia Jackson (a gospel singer)
- Aerosmith (a rock band)
- Spiro Agnew (a former U.S. Vice President)
- Dick Cheney (a former U.S. Vice President)
- Hilary Duff (an actress and singer)
- Jerry Seinfeld (a comedian)
- Ric Flair (a professional wrestler)
- Shania Twain (a country music singer)
- George Takei (an actor from Star Trek)
- Kevin Hart (a comedian and actor)
- Tom Osborne (a famous football coach)
- Henry Ford (founder of Ford Motor Company)
- Thomas Edison (a famous inventor)
- Harvey S. Firestone (founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company)
- Wayne Newton (a singer)
- John Burroughs (a naturalist and writer)
See also
In Spanish: Hotel Roanoke para niños
