Roanoke’s Boxley Building was built in 1921-22, in the city’s “Golden Age of Municipal Progress,” which occurred in the decade after World War I. The eight-story building has a granite-faced first story with beige enameled brick and terra-cotta decoration above, and is topped by a deep copper cornice. It was designed by area architect Frank Stone who was in partnership with Edward G. Frye. Stone had previously worked in the firm of D.H. Burnham of Chicago and his design reflects the influence of Chicago’s pioneering tall buildings. The building was commissioned by W. W. Boxley, developer, quarry owner, railroad contractor, and mayor of Roanoke at the time of its construction. Boxley ensured the use of the finest materials available for his steel-frame structure, creating a work which is still a dominant feature of the city’s skyline, and of the listed Roanoke Downtown Historic District.