Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 30, 1995 TAG: 9506020044
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEY MOLDENHAUER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The fact that Roanoke City Council was unresponsive to the preservation community's pleas not to raze Stonewall Jackson Middle School wasn't mentioned. The Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation and the Archeological Society of Virginia provided statements to request preserving this landmark building. To help accomplish this, John Kern, regional director of the state's Department of Historic Resources, offered his staff's technical services to integrate the desired quality educational opportunities into the existing historical structure.
Previously, the city's chairman of its own Architectural Review Board, William Whitwell, said he hates to lose another part of architectural history. Regardless, City Council wouldn't move to ask the school administration to reconsider its decision. In an era where the city professes to support historic preservation, this inaction is perplexing.
Until recently, the city has supported an award-winning program for restoring elementary schools, but it now seems to be taking a new direction for its middle schools. At a recent meeting of the Southeast Action Forum, Richard Kelley, assistant superintendent for operations, made statements supporting this shift in attitude, which scares preservationists even more.
With a gleam in his eyes, Kelley said that the school administration hasn't ruled out razing other middle schools in the future. He said if the Jackson project is successful, perhaps those living near other middle schools will want their old buildings replaced also.
Therefore, there exists a continued threat of losing additional historic schools. Citizens should be aware when voting on the next bond referendum that for the current school administration, renovation can quite easily mean razing.
It's sad to think that cultural patrimony isn't considered by some to be an integral part of the educational process or that it can't go together with futuristic educational technology. I believe that 10 years down the road, Kelley will be superintendent in some faraway school system, and we'll regret the building he left us that can't be adapted to whatever new educational trend is operating.
Most disappointing, however, is that Southeast will have lost another legacy, and the citizens there will have even less cohesiveness, identity and sense of place. The old adage holds true: ``Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it.''
As Stonewall Jackson died in May 1863 from wounds inflicted by his own troops, the analogy exists for Stonewall Jackson Middle School. And we wonder why the Star City is dimming.
Joey Moldenhauer, of Salem, chairs the Threatened Sites Committee, Archeological Society of Virginia.
by CNB