ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604230146
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN ADAMS STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on April 23, 1996.
A photo caption in Monday's Extra section misidentified Lizzie
Barudin. Barudin is the owner of Present Thyme.
THERE are four turn-of-the-century buildings on West Campbell Avenue that will tell their histories if you look closely.
The smell of ink no longer wafts from the old Roanoke Times Publishing Co. - the walls absorbed it years ago. But you can still see ``1892,'' the year of construction, cast in the parapet at 122 Campbell Ave. You can also see the urn-shaped finials, reminiscent of the building's first owner, florist Frank Fallon.
No. 124 once was a funeral parlor. Built by John M. Oakey in 1895, when horse-drawn hearses rattled down the brick streets, the structure still has the words ``funeral directors'' carved in marble above the cornice.
At the doorway marked 118, built in 1906, you can imagine music students lugging their instruments upstairs to what was once the Roanoke School of Music. Jeweler Louis Voight built and owned the three-story, Beaux Arts-style space and ran his shop on the first floor.
At 120, built in 1909, you can picture Roanoke photographer George Cabell Davis (1881-1968) trotting out the door to board a streetcar in the 1920s. His studio occupied that building (and eventually 122 as well) for nearly 30 years.
Other businesses have come and gone, each leaving its own impression on these four buildings, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
``The rapid early growth of Roanoke's commercial district, and the prosperity that resulted, are reflected in the buildings' decorated facades with their strongly embellished and elaborated windows and rich cornices,'' reads the registration form for the National Register.
It also declares that ``the buildings ... are good examples of late-nineteenth- to early-twentieth-century commercial structures left intact....''
Roanoke nearly lost these buildings in 1988, when the owner applied for a permit to demolish them. But the public outcry was noisy enough to stall the process.
An editorial in the Roanoke Times & World-News that year objected to ``scorched-earth'' urban renewal, which razed buildings ``without a second thought given to their historic and architectural value, or to what would rise in their stead.''
Indeed, these buildings - the last of their era - were to be replaced by a parking lot.
Fortunately the city intervened and purchased the buildings from owner and Realtor James Trinkle. Once the city owned them, though, they continued to gather dust.
They came to the attention of Roanoke landscape architect David Hill in 1994 when he mentioned to Evie Landers and Doug Chittum, both from the city's office of economic development, that his architecture business had outgrown its current location at 20 East Campbell.
David and Helen Hill took a hard look at the old buildings and decided to buy 120, 122 and 124. The rest is history.
Two of the Hill buildings - 120 and 122 - have been brought back to spectacular life. Starting Tuesday and continuing through May 11, they'll be open to the public in a special way.
``Downtown Living,'' a showcase of design ideas for living and working space, will raise funds to benefit the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge and other area nonprofit organizations.
The showcase will give people the opportunity to view these restored buildings and see just how much can be done with similar structures. And it'll show some stunning decorating ideas at the same time.
Each room on the first two floors is decorated by a different designer from the area. Visitors will see a bedroom, sitting room, tea room, kitchen, bath, music room, library, pied-a-terre (city apartment), office, study, garden room and more.
Sally Rugaber is the former Arts Council director who nurtured the showcase project from inception. ``This will appeal to people who are concerned with downtown, interested in historic preservation, and in new ways to use these buildings,'' she said.
The showcase will be staffed by volunteers from local nonprofit groups (such as the League of Older Americans, Total Action Against Poverty, the Blue Ridge Center for Independent Living), who will receive a portion of the funds raised.
A variety of idea-sparking activities will be offered in conjunction with the showcase, including a wine tasting, a Mother's Day tea and children's entertainment. Seminars will be offered on topics such as decorative finishes, ``plantscapes,'' kitchen and bath trends, antiques, home offices, architecture and American furniture.
``A project like this helps us to meet a lot of the objectives we deal with every day,'' David Hill said. ``If we can restore our downtowns we'll use up less of the countryside.''
Hill said his new spaces ``really did come back to life.'' He said the designers brought to the project a level of vitality that he didn't expect. ``We provided the canvas and they painted it.''
Showcase co-chairwoman Suzi Turner said, ``People are very interested in this type of project.'' The designers enjoy it too, she said; it gives them a chance to show their best ideas and to work in unique spaces. All the designers are donating their time and talent for the cause.
More than 150 people in the area helped pull the project together.
For a long time, Rugaber had wanted to offer some kind of downtown open house to let people see urban spaces used in a variety of ways. When Hill Studio purchased the Campbell buildings, she and Susan Jennings (the council's subsequent director) knew they had found their location.
With the Hills' enthusiastic acceptance, the buildings would serve both purposes, with the showcase coming down and the studio moving in later (July 1).
``This benefits so many groups,'' Jennings said. ``Not only the city with its objective to revitalize downtown, but also preservation groups who've said, `You don't have to tear down these old buildings.'''
Helen Hill, preservation planner and the city's historic review officer, said, ``We knew what could be done. If you look at those buildings in their present state, it's amazing.''
During the renovation, they discovered an old photograph of the original facade of 122, which included blocks of stained glass across the storefront. They replicated it, and the finished blue, green and red squares look as if they have been there all along.
``It's exciting to find architectural things that you didn't expect when you first started,'' she said. ``You never know what you'll find.''
Another benefit for restorers of historic buildings is the potential for financial assistance from the state and federal governments. A listing on the National Register of Historic Places brings with it a federal tax credit, provided the renovation criteria set forth by the secretary of the Interior are followed.
This project has been a preservationist's dream. ``Everything has gone so smoothly,'' Helen Hill said. ``I've heard stories of whole buildings that collapse. But this has been great.''
The Hills hope to have apartments on the third floors eventually. After the studio is relocated they will begin working on the restoration of No. 124. A potential buyer is considering the building at 118 Campbell, according to the city's chief of economic development, Phillip Sparks.
Everyone supporting this project - with funds, enthusiasm or sweat - realizes that this may be only the beginning.
``There are lots of other places downtown where this could happen,'' said David Hill, whose business will add its own sights and sounds to the city's history.
``When the downtown is healthy, the whole region is healthy.''
``Downtown Living,'' a showcase of design ideas for living and working spaces, will be held Tuesday through May 11. The admission for tours and special events raises money for the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge and other nonprofit organizations. Tours cost $12 per person. Call 224-1205 for more information.
LENGTH: Long : 160 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. 1. This interior for theby CNBArts Council of the Blue Ridge's "Downtown Living" showcase was
designed by Present Thyme's Lizzie Barudin. 2. Roanoke's David and
Helen Hill saved (from left) 120, 122 and 124 West Campbell Avenue
downtown from the wrecking ball. The late 19th- and early
20th-century buildings now are on the National Register of Historic
Places. The two in the middle have been renovated as part of the
"Downtown Living" project. 3. A sitting room by Bowles, Nelson and
Powers (right). 4. International Design Group came up with this
bathroom (above) for the downtown designer showcase. It features a
Jacuzzi tub and a painting from John Davis Antiques. 5. A bedroom by
Stedman House Designers (right). 6. Surface's music room in the
designer showcase (above) features columns and a domed ceiling with
a painting. color. 7. File/1988. Before the renovations: After the
city bought the historic buildings on Campbell Avenue, they remained
vacant for years