6/10/05

The corner lot of little importance (Part 1)

What would ostensibly be 118-131 Salem Ave. SE, the site chosen for the AMWV, is much more than a parking lot, and once that asphalt tarmac is broken up - Im sure rubble from its past will be revealed.

A brief history of the AMWV site:

1886 - A few dwellings, a few dry goods shops, a shanty, barber, and a restaurant comprise the half of the block which is to become the AMWV.

1889 - 3 Tenements, 2 Restaurants, a house and a bowling alley have taken up residence on the site. The bowling alley being one of the vanguard alleys in Roanoke. In the following 5 years, nearly every street downtown would have at least one bowling alley - although in some cases, 3 was not uncommon.

1893 - 3 houses, 2 vacant stores, and 2 shops exist on the site.

1898 - A home, a restaurant, several storefronts, and a barber occupied most of the site.

1903- The north side of Salem Ave. near what is now Williamson was graced with a stone retaining wall. Behind this was a home. The Norfolk Ave. side was home to a tenement, a junk shop, a barber, and a vacant storefront.

1907 - Progress takes hold, the Hotel Randolph occupies a good 2/3rds the site. Numerous storefronts line the ground floor. There is ample parking for your horse and buggy, along with a restaurant or two. Across Williamson was the Randolph Market.

1919- The Hotel Ritz occupies the space which we now know as Billy's Ritz. At the opposite end of the block, there was the Hotel Anderson. 2 restaurants, 16 stalls for buggy parking, a filling station with another restaurant nextdoor (what seems to be the Lonesome Dove/Tony's Place) which was erected just the year before. And on the block, another big loss for Roanoke, was the pedestrian bridge to the N&W Railway Station - a ornate glass and steel affair.

The name of the Hotel Anderson changed several times through the years, serving as the Hotel Lee for a time. Unfortunately, all traces of these hotels have been lost to time. And now we are going to lose again.

The revenue created by this location historically, will never be matched by sanitizing it. Were the AMWV going to have retail space (other than the gift shop/cafe) lining the ground floor - then I would say it is an appropriate use, but its not going to. Add to that the empty space within the building, and you are looking at a major loss in revenue.

Architecture (or what passes as...) aside, that high-visibility, high traffic, well traveled area is not appropriate for a venture like this. Again, this is what zoning laws are for. Identify the commercially viable zones, preserve the historic use of an area, and find homes for artistic endevours. With Opera Roanoke moving to the Dumas Center, the ongoing program at the Jefferson Center, the O Winston Link museum, and The RSO performing at the Civic Center - Roanoke is spreading its arts thin. Two Artistic Zones should be created, centered around both the Jefferson Center and the Dumas Center.

Which would mean, in order to be effective, the AMWV should be moved to the north side of the railroad tracks. Allow incentives for artists to set up shop around the Jefferson Center, and keep the big, bold arts in the same general area.

"Part 2, the City's Responsibility" will be posted soon.

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