Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 18, 1994 TAG: 9409120019
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By KAREN L. DAVIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Lined with flower gardens and shaded by a central, decorative tree in a raised planter, the patio evolved from brainstorming sessions among the museum's board of directors and the the Garden Club's longstanding volunteer commitment to beautify the museum's grounds.
``Groundskeeping at the Transportation Museum has been a main project of the Roanoke Valley Garden Club since 1977,'' said Frances Davis, who is a garden club member and the treasurer for the museum's board of directors.
Davis said the idea for a brick patio didn't really solidify until ``Ronald Thompson, who was then president of the area chapter of the Masonry Contractors Association of Virginia, wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the Roanoke Times & World-News.'' Thompson's letter raised the question of what would become of the brick pavers being taken up from Campbell Avenue sidewalks at that time.
The city pavers were crafted in Spain, and Davis and other board members appreciated the historical significance of the old bricks from downtown Roanoke's sidewalks. They thought it would be fitting to reuse them at the museum and asked the city to donate them to the garden club's patio project.
``It took many times calling to get them,'' Davis said, but the museum ended up with about 1,000 of the old pavers, just enough to trim a handsome gray brick border around the patio.
In addition, Old Virginia Brick Company Inc. of Salem donated about 6,000 blank brick pavers to complete the project.
On Oct. 29, 1992, the museum kicked off its permanent, buy-a-brick fund-raiser with an ``Achy Breaky Brick Dance.''
Contributors still can buy an ``identity brick'' for $30 with their name etched in it. Proceeds are used to continue efforts to enhance the museum, said Katherine Houck, executive director.
It wasn't until June 11, though, that the bricks finally were laid by about 20 members of the Masonry Contractors Association of Virginia, Southwest Chapter, who volunteered an entire Saturday and about $7,000 worth of free labor to the task.
About 5,000 bricks are in the 1,300-square-foot patio, Davis said. Nearly 300 engraved, chocolate-colored identity bricks are set among the contrasting burgundy, red and tan-colored pavers donated by Old Virginia Brick.
For every identity brick sold, a blank paver is taken up and replaced with the engraved brick.
Every blank brick taken up and replaced by an engraved brick will be saved, along with other leftover bricks, and used for future beautification projects, Davis said.
by CNB