Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 28, 1995 TAG: 9502280106
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
If Roanoke City Council has its way, the Hotel Roanoke soon will be on state and federal historic landmark maps.
Council on Monday unanimously approved efforts to win a spot for the 112-year-old hotel on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
H.R. Foundation Inc., one of the hotel's owners, has applied to both the state and federal governments for historic landmark designation. The first step is approval by the local governing body.
Beyond cultural and tourism significance, inclusion on the national register could mean a federal tax windfall for the hotel. It would be eligible for tax credits on any profits it earns.
A historic designation also would ensure that the building's exterior could not be changed without review by state agencies and the National Park Service.
``Over the next century, it will be maintained essentially as you see it today,'' City Manager Bob Herbert told council.
However, the move did not come without a bit of chiding from an advocate of another nearby historic building, the Gainsboro branch of the Roanoke Public Library.
Evelyn Bethel, president of the Historic Gainsboro Coalition, questioned how the city could move so quickly on the hotel's behalf when it has dragged its feet on historic designation for the library.
``That request was made three years ago. [It] has still not been approved, and it has not even been brought to council for approval,'' Bethel said.
``That's a logical question. If you made a request and it's been three years, I wonder why it hasn't amounted to anything,'' Councilman William White replied.
There are two reasons, Herbert said. First, the matter isn't as urgent, because the city owns the library and it has no intention of changing its exterior. Second, getting it designated historic now would wrap any future renovations in state and federal red tape. The efforts would be delayed, and they would be more costly, he said.
All renovations at the hotel have been approved in advance by state and federal agencies, he added.
Herbert said he hoped to bring a recommendation regarding the library's historic status to council by June 30.
The hotel is owned by the Hotel Roanoke Limited Liability Corp. The company is a partnership of the not-for-profit Virginia Tech Real Estate Foundation and Renew Roanoke, a group of civic and business leaders who raised millions for the renovation.
To manage its share of the partnership, the Virginia Tech Real Estate Foundation created H.R. Foundation Inc., a for-profit subsidiary.
by CNB