Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 1, 1994 TAG: 9411010099
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The preservation group wants to remove faded and dirty pieces from the hotel, restore them to their original condition of the 1930s, and display them in the renovated Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center scheduled to open next spring.
"You preserve the best of the past and complement it with the best of the new," said Robert France, the foundation's president.
But to do that, the group needs money. That's why the foundation is combining the restoration of the first painting with a drive to raise money so other pieces can be saved.
An oil painting that shows an aerial map of the Roanoke Valley, with a spotlight on the Hotel Roanoke, was selected as the first work to be restored. The brown and green tones that dominate the 4-by-6-foot painting - located for years in the hotel's Pine Room - are faded and dull.
It's believed the painting was completed for the hotel's renovation in 1937, France said, but the artist is unknown. The "new" Norfolk and Western office building is shown, as is the Roanoke passenger station's pedestrian bridge, which was demolished in 1941.
The painting, which was mounted on plywood and attached to a Pine Room wall, has been damaged over the years by cigarette smoke as well as its mounting, France said. There also is evidence the painting was varnished when the surrounding walls were refinished.
Workers removed the painting from the hotel Monday and took it to the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge's office on Church Avenue. It will be on display there for a month before it is sent to an art conservatory for restoration.
Whitney Feldman, one of the foundation's trustees, said it may cost more than $2,500 to restore the painting. The group has the money to finance that project, France said, but that's about as far as its budget goes.
To raise more money, the preservation foundation commissioned local artist Joan Henley to paint a limited edition print based on the Pine Room painting. Henley's painting is nearly an exact copy of the original, though she added a picture of what the new hotel and conference center will look like when completed.
There are 650 2-by-3-foot prints of Henley's painting, "Preserving the Best of Our Past," on sale. The cost of a print is $75 unframed or $150 framed.
All proceeds will be used to restore additional art, France said, including Peacock Alley, Virginia history murals in the lobby, egg and dart molding and the celestial ceiling.
"The preservation foundation itself is not going to get a dime out of this," he said.
Gary Walton, general manager of the hotel for Doubletree Hotels, said the company is excited about the project.
"We think preserving the history of the hotel is important," he said.
Anyone interested in purchasing one of Henley's paintings can call the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation at 989-0146, or write to P.O. Box 1558, Roanoke 24007.
by CNB