Check out the Fall 2017 edition of our newsletter, Preservation Focus for a look back on the past few months! This issue contains a list of our 2017 Endangered Sites, an article on preservation easements, upcoming events, and more! You’ll find an invitation to our Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards ceremony on the last page. We hope to see you there!
Check out the full newsletter HERE.
3rd Annual Tweed Ride – Saturday, November 11 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. Bikers shoulder meet at Downshift Bicycles (416 Campbell Ave. SW) dressed in their “tweeds” and ready to enjoy an easy ride through history Roanoke. Once again, the RVPF will provide historic background at several stops along the way. For more information, visit www.ridesolutions.org.
Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards – Tuesday, November 14 at the Roland E. Cook Lofts in Vinton (412 Poplar St.). Join the RVPF for the presentation of our 2017 Preservation Awards. The reception starts at 5:30pm, and the award ceremony at 6:00pm. There will be light refreshments and admission is free.
Rosenwald Schools Documentary – on Saturday, January 13, 2018, join the RVPF at 4:00pm at the Dumas Center for a screening of the documentary, Rosenwald: The Remarkable Story of a Jewish Partnership with African American Communities, by Aviva Kempner. More details will be posted here as they become available. This event is sponsored by Brian Wishneff and Associates.
Check out the Spring 2017 edition of our newsletter, Preservation Focus for a look back on the past few months! This issue contains a list of our 2016 Preservation Awards, an update on Preston Place, updates on our Historic Plaque Program and the kickoff of our new social media campaign! You’ll also find invitations to History by Bike, our 2017 Endangered Sites, and our next Preservation Pub Talk!
Check out the full newsletter Here.
Friends of Greenfield Fundraiser – Saturday, Nov. 5 , from 6-9pm. Join the Friends of the Greenfield Preston Plantation for the unveiling of their archaeological study. For more information, download the flyer HERE!
Virginian Station Grand Opening – Saturday, Nov. 12, from 11am-4pm. Join the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and the RVPF for a look inside the newly restored Virginian Passenger Station (1402 South Jefferson St).
Tweed Ride – Saturday, Nov. 12, beginning at noon at Sweet Donkey Coffee House (2108 Broadway Ave. SW). Hosted by RIDE Solutions, with historic guides provided by the RVPF.
RVPF Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards – Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 6-8pm at the Virginian Station (1402 South Jefferson St).
Preservation Pub Talk #2 – February 2017 (date and location TBA). “Preserving Authenticity,” with Isabel Thornton of Restoration Housing.
Preservation Pub Talk #3 – June 2017 (date and location TBA). “Keeping History Relevant” with Stephen Warren, President of the Historical Society of Western Virginia, Board of Trustees.
Check out the Fall 2016 edition of our newsletter, Preservation Focus for a look back on the past few months! This issue contains an update on inaugural Preservation Pub Talks and the Greenfield Plantation archaeological study, a review of our 2016 Endangered Sites Awards, and a tribute to former RVPF board member Joel Richert. You’ll also find a list of upcoming events, and an invitation to our Annual Meeting on November 15, 2016.
Check out the full newsletter HERE.
Five neglected structures and the threat of a gas pipeline crossing are on the 2015 Endangered Sites listing announced this past Saturday (May 30), by the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation. A Bulldozer Award for the demolition of the historic Woods End house near Hidden Valley High School was announced for the Roanoke County School Board.
The sites:
Mill stones
Gas pipeline route
Billy’s cabin
Ole Monterey cabin
Spickard house
Holdren’s Country Store
The Preservation Foundation has called attention to threats against old, potentially useful buildings and natural resources annually since 1996. The Foundation encourages owners to find ways to use these older properties and to care for natural resources.
The full text of our 2015 Endangered Sites and the Bulldozer Award is available Here.
RVPF’s first annual Pints for Preservation Pub Crawl took place this past Saturday (May 30), and we had an amazing time! While the numbers are still being tallied, we’d like to give a huge thank you to our sponsors – Brown Edwards, Gentry Locke, Hill Studio and Hist:Re. This could not have been done without their generous donations. And thank you to The Square Society, The Harvester and Firefly Fare for the wonderful prizes they donated to our contestants.
We would also like to thank all of our participating bars – Billy’s, Blue 5, Cornerstone, The Quarter and Martin’s Downtown Bar & Grill. They went out of their way to make this a fun experience for all, and we are very grateful.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who came out to support RVPF and congratulations to our three winning teams! We hope you all had fun, regardless of where you placed, and will join us again next year! The answers to all of Saturday’s trivia questions can be found Here.
Many thanks!
– The Pints for Preservation Committee and the RVPF Board of Trustees
RVPF’s President Alison Blanton has written another article for the Roanoke Times on the economic value of historic tax credits and their impact beyond just the obvious tax incentives. She writes “To date, more than 2,350 federal and/or state HTC projects have been completed in Virginia. These projects total more than $4 billion in private investment and have created more than 31,000 full or part-time jobs. These HTC projects, which have been completed in 85 out of 90 counties in Virginia, not only renovate historic buildings, they revitalize the local economy. Studies show that over 75 percent of the dollars invested in HTC projects stay in the local economy as labor and materials tend to be local.” Clearly, preservation is a wonderful economic tool and RVPF agrees with Alison that the tax credit program is an invaluable asset to the state.
You can read the full article here.
RVPF’s President Alison Blanton has written an article for the Roanoke Times on why we should care about historic preservation. She writes ” that ‘sense of place’ maintained through the preservation of buildings, communities, and cultures…helps us feel that we are significant as well. We feel connected not only to our past, but to our surrounding community and environment. Whether it be historic buildings that clearly represent their purpose—in the case of City Hall or St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, with its soaring spires—or pedestrian-scaled streetscapes and small storefronts that encourage us to walk and interact with others, historic buildings continue to be useful and provide an improved quality of life.”
Bravo to Alison for writing such an articulate article. You can read it here.
This year, the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation will not be hosting a Downtown Abbey Premiere Party. However, luckily for our supporters and fans of the show, the Alexander Black House and Cultural Center in Blacksburg will be airing a premiere party there at 8:00 pm on January 4th. There will be light refreshments, a costume contest and cash bar and, of course, the premiere of the fifth season. The cost is 20 dollars a person and 35 per couple. For more information, please call 540-558 -0746 email [email protected] or visit www.blacksburghistory.org. Hope to see you there!