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Architect Paul B. Hayes designed the Norfolk & Western
General Office Building North during a period of the Norfolk &
Western Railway Company’s expansion.
Constructed in 1931 in Roanoke, the building housed the
company’s offices until 1992.
Designed in the Art Deco style, the structure has
maintained a high degree of historic integrity over the years.
It is also one of the three buildings that comprises the
Norfolk & Western Historic District on the National Register.
Its historical significance is derived from its involvement in the
history of transportation, commerce, and trade in Virginia, as
well as its architectural design.
Historic rehabilitation of the building began in March 1999,
and was completed in October 2000.
The project represented a total investment of more than $20
million in the Roanoke community, which created hundreds of jobs
and poured millions into the local economy.
Another great asset of the rehabilitations is that they
preserved the building’s exterior configuration, interior
spaces, and characteristic masonry details, such as the Norfolk
& Western engravings on the exterior.
Today the structure serves as a higher education center,
providing remote classrooms for many Virginia colleges and
universities; it now houses 16 institutions and 20,000 students.
Mark McConnel of Spectrum Design, the firm that
rehabilitated the building, attributes much of the project’s
success to the building’s historic background.
“Historic buildings give more back to the community than
new buildings. They
provide a sense of connectedness as well as loyalty to see them
remain,” said McConnel. By
serving both the need for an educational facility and providing a
way to preserve the community’s history, the project flourished
and generated a large amount of community support.
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