Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 20, 1993 TAG: 9306180212
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BECKY HEPLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PLUM CREEK LENGTH: Long
As a caterer, Diane Whitehead was well aware of the need for open spaces.
"People were always asking if I knew of any place to hold parties outdoors," she said. "Given a choice, people will always gravitate to an outside space during a party."
As a businesswoman, Whitehead decided to address that need. Make that, being a sentimental and sound businesswoman. Whitehead bought the property next to her business, Terrific's, to make into an outdoor party space.
What she bought was an eyesore, an old motel that had done time as a nursing home before falling into disuse and decay. But it was steeped in history and good karma, and it seemed to her to be loaded with potential.
"Every day I'd go by that place, I'd say, `Why doesn't someone do something about that place?' Finally, I did something. I made the guy an offer," she said. "I could just see lawn parties and wedding receptions there under those giant willow trees, people relaxing at the tables or playing croquet and listening to the creek."
It was good that Whitehead had that pleasant picture in mind to keep her motivated when she started the renovations last spring. What she found were loads of rubble, falling plaster and trash that had to be hauled away before she could even begin to realize her vision.
However, it was the vision of what had been that began to spark the public's interest in her work.
"You wouldn't believe the number of people who stop and comment," she said. "They all have a story about it and the supper club, how they proposed to their wife there or had a special occasion there. It was almost a historic landmark."
Back before interstates, fast-food restaurants and international hotel chains, vacations meant the lure of the road in big American cars. When night fell or the driver wanted a break, there were the functional yet cozy places like the Hornsby Motor Court, outside of Radford on U.S. 11.
"Honey, it was the only motel between Roanoke and Bristol," said Dottie Martin of Radford. Her sister, Peggy Cirelli asked, "Wasn't there a little place over in Christiansburg?"
"Well, it was the biggest," Martin said.
Their parents, Trudy and McKinley Hornsby, built the motel and opened it in October 1947. They had bought and remodeled the building next door (now Terrific's, but at that time an Esso gas station) as a restaurant and dance club.
The motel would be an additional source of diners as well as a place to house the entertainers the Hornsbys brought from New York for the club.
"I can still remember the day Xavier Cugat drove up in that big old convertible with the leopard skin upholstery," Cirelli said. "All the locals came over to stare at that one."
"Don't forget to mention Spike Jones," Martin said. "And which one of the Dorseys performed there and stayed at the motel?"
According to the sisters, any big Virginia Tech or Radford College weekend would bring business to the motel because out-of-town parents and other visitors needed a place to stay. But it also was the home-away-from-home of many salesmen and other travelers.
Rooms were $3.50 for a single and $6 for a double. A suite of three rooms went for $10.
"They got the idea for the motel when they went to Florida and stayed in a place called The Alamo," Martin said of her parents' decision to give the motel its fort-like appearance. The building surrounded a large courtyard that allowed the guests to park right outside their rooms.
Cirelli was away at school, so she could help only when she was home for vacation. But the younger Martin was there all the time and loved working the desk, where she could visit with all the guests.
"I guess I'm just outgoing," she said. "I got it honestly. Dad never met a stranger."
The only bad times were when the help didn't show and the sisters had to be up early, stripping beds and cleaning rooms.
"We didn't realize what we had," Martin said. "We could bring our friends home and really entertain them, eating out at the restaurant and listening to the music, then sleeping over at the motel."
"It was not a bad lifestyle," Martin said. "Just not a lot of privacy."
McKinley Hornsby died in 1953. His wife continued to operate the motel for several more years, but finally she rented it, first to another motel operator, then in 1959 to the folks who turned it into a nursing home. That lasted until the 1970s, when the nursing home closed.
Hornsby sold the property, but the new owner's plans for it never materialized, so the building sat empty until Whitehead decided to take action.
The sisters are delighted that the building will be the scene of good times once again. They're also happy with all the work that's gone into the renovation, including lots of landscaping.
"I've got it landscaped so there will be blooms from April to October," Whitehead said. "Plus, we've worked so hard to save these beautiful old willow trees."
One thing that didn't need extensive cleanup was Plum Creek.
"The creek is in great condition, with a lot of life," she said. "It's a wonderful draw for birds. We've seen pileated woodpeckers and a blue heron. I think part of the entertainment here could be just watching the birds. Certainly, sitting by the creek is a pleasant way to spend your time here. My staff comes over here to have lunch all the time."
Other diversions will include a space on the lawn for croquet and, around back near the creek, horseshoe pits. A volleyball court is planned, too.
The work has been concentrated outdoors. Other than the restrooms and a serving room, the motel has not been renovated. Of course, Whitehead is open to whatever evolves with the operation.
"I'm sure as I use the space, it will come to me what to do with it.
In the meantime, she has added some comfortable touches.
She had the windows that overlooked the courtyard removed, giving that hall a breezeway effect. Then she installed wide ledges that seem to invite people to lean on them and survey the party area, park their drink and strike up a conversation with someone in the courtyard.
The entire complex, including Terrific's, will be known as Terrific's Banquet Hall, Courtyard & Green and the outdoor party room will be available from April through October.
"We can hold up to 500 people," Whitehead said. "We have a family reunion scheduled here for July and I think that's going to work great. It's such a pleasant place and I want to see it used."
by CNB