The Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation (RVPF) and members of the City of Roanoke’s Fire-EMS Department held a dedication ceremony of the Fire Station No. 7 historical interpretive sign, commemorating the history of the station from its original 1922 construction with an unveiling on Thursday, November 4, 2021 at 5:30pm. 

The sign commemorates the City’s commitment to preserving the history of the station located at 1742 Memorial Ave. SW, Roanoke, VA 24015. Members of the community joined Roanoke Valley Preservation Board members and Roanoke Fire/EMS staff in celebration of both the past and the future of Fire Station No. 7 in the dedication of the historical sign at the new station.

Attendees toured the inside of the station inside but were asked to wear masks respective to the City’s COVID-19 policies. The station’s Fire-EMS crew served ice cream to those who attended, in keeping with the historical spirit of the fire station as an integral part of the neighborhood.

As part of the plan to build the new station on the site, the City partnered with the RVPF to install the interpretive sign to tell the history of the original 1922 fire station and its role in the development of the surrounding neighborhoods of Ghent, Raleigh Court, and Wasena during the early to mid-20th century. While the RVPF fought to save the original 1922 station, they believe that preserving the history of the station in the neighborhood is what is most important and the sign helps to accomplish this.

In early-2021, the newly constructed Fire Station No. 7 was unveiled to the public after more than a year of work. The new station, which houses Ladder 7 and Medic 7, offers four times as much space as its predecessor, allowing modern and EMS apparatus to fit in the station’s bay. New Station 7 was designed by a team from SFCS Architects, City staff, and Fire-EMS employees whose focus was to preserve the exterior character of the 1922 station and the surrounding residential neighborhood, while providing a state-of-the-art facility for modern Fire and EMS services. Historic materials and features from the original station, including bricks, wood trim, doors, and other historical artifacts were salvaged and incorporated into the new station.

The station also continues to feature the Trojan Dog sculpture, designed by artist Ann Glover. Located prominently in front of the new station, this project of the Roanoke Arts Commission and Greater Raleigh Court Civic League is a favorite in the community.

“The historical preservation of the station has not lost sight of its history in paying tribute to the 1922 station, with the detailed refurbished artifacts from the 1922 station and community support from the RVPF,” said Chief David Hoback of Roanoke’s Fire-EMS Department. “The community effort has resulted in the Fire-EMS team being able to have expanded resources to better serve the needs and ensure the safety of the neighborhood and residents.”

To view a virtual tour of the station, watch here.

Several RVPF Board members joined RVPF Board member and historian Jordan Bell on his walking tour of the Historic Gainsboro neighborhood held on Saturday October 23rd, 2021. Participants met at the historic Gainsboro Library located at 15 Patton Avenue NE at 10am.

Jordan introduced participants to Roanoke’s historic Gainsboro neighborhood, a predominantly black enclave where residents built a community that included self-sufficient businesses, medical offices & facilities, churches, a theatre, a hotel, school, and more creating a vibrant self-sufficient center of Roanoke’s black culture and commerce.

Participants also visited Henry Street which was the heart of entertainment in Gainsboro with restaurants, hotels, and clubs that hosted musical icons like Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Nat “King” Cole, Dizzie Gillespie and more. 

For more information on Jordan’s Historic Gainsboro Walking tour, visit our site’s Historic Gainsboro History Walk page.

Additionally, for an opportunity to participate on a future walking tour, visit our site’s  Upcoming Events and Activities page.  

RVPF Board members Lynsey Allie and Bob Clement represented the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation at Restoration Housing LLC’s 6th Annual Community Partnership Day held on Saturday, Oct 23, 2021 between 9:00am – 12noon at 820 Dale Avenue, SE in Roanoke. They and roughly 25 other community volunteers got their hands dirty during this annual day of service while experiencing the power of community from working together! They helped prep flower beds, pull weeds, install landscaping and mulch, establish a parking area, and sod and seed the lawn at Restoration Housing’s 5th housing restoration project site located at 820 Dale Avenue in Southeast Roanoke.

Both brought their own gloves and trowels as all other tools, refreshments, and a Restoration Housing Community Partnership Day t-shirt were provided to all of those who volunteered to help.

Click here to see a video created to document Restoration Housing LLC’s 6th Annual Community Partnership Day 

For more information on this event and/or other Housing Restoration, LLC activities, please contact Maribeth at [email protected] or visit their website at www.restorationhousing.org.

Congratulations to Ariel Clark of Southwest Restoration on the August 2021 completion of an 1880s smokehouse rehabilitation for George Kegley, owner of historic Monterey in Roanoke, VA.  Ariel, a former Foundation Board member, inherited the company from her father, Mark Clark, who retired after restoring many old buildings in the Roanoke Valley and the surrounding regions.

Ariel stabilized the 1800s smokehouse located in the back yard of Monterey, the 1845 home of George and the late Louise Kegley in northeast Roanoke. Termites had seriously damaged the old building. 

Noted in this 1889 photo above is a small building to the right of the main building that was part of the smokehouse, It was identified as such after hooks used to hold hams were seen in its top.  The main  building, pictured with four generations of servants (a great-grandmother was out sick) unfortunately is no longer standing along with the others shown in the background. No one knows when these outbuildings were constructed. Most recently, the old smokehouse building was used for storage.

Prior to beginning the project, Ariel held a tour of the smokehouse on May 8, 2021 and explained her plans for salvaging and stabilizing the wood damaged by termites. She did a beautiful job preserving as much of the original structure as possible and the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation appauds her efforts.  Ariel can be reached at www.southwestrestorationva.com withany questions specific to the project,

RVPF, Inc. thanks Lynsey Crantz for taking photos of the completed project during its unveiling on August 21, 2021. 

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Although Confederate monuments are sometimes designated as historic, and while many were erected more than a century ago, the National Trust supports their removal from our public spaces when they continue to serve the purposes for which many were built—to glorify, promote, and reinforce white supremacy, overtly or implicitly.

Roanoke Valley Gives Day (3.18.2020) is fast approaching!  

This annual event is designed to inspire those who love the Roanoke Valley to invest in nonprofit organizations making a difference locally! Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation is among those participating and we would love to have you, your friends, colleagues, and family help support our mission of protecting our history, promoting preservation, and contributing toward a prosperous community. 

You can be a part of the largest day of giving in the Roanoke Valley for as little as $10!  Simply make your donation on RVPF’s Roanoke Valley Gives page at
https://www.rvgives.org/organizations/roanoke-valley-preservation-foundation
now through 11:59 p.m. on March 18^th

We’re eligible for incentive prizes through the challenges listed below! Donations must be submitted through our RV Gives page

In It to Win It:  If we reach or surpass our goal of $5,000, Roanoke Children’s Theatre will be entered to win a dollar for dollar match up to $15,000!

Midnight Madness:  This is for all you night owls!  A donation made between 12:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. on March 18th will be randomly selected and enhanced by $1,000.

Medium Leaderboard:  Most dollars raised among medium nonprofit organizations with 1^st place winning $5,000; 2^nd place winning $3,000; and 3^rd place winning $2,000.

Power Hours:  $500 to the organization with the most donations during specified hours throughout March 18th.

Far, Far, Away:  The donation with the farthest verified address from Roanoke will be enhanced by $250!