ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, October 25, 1996 TAG: 9610250086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
Where judges once presided over a courtroom, students now study public policy in an oak-paneled classroom. A vault that once held official records is now a lounge with a soda machine.
The old Roanoke County Courthouse - with its eagle-topped clock tower, cast-iron stairwells and oak wainscoting along the wide corridors - will be rededicated today after a $2.5million renovation of the historic landmark in Salem.
It has been nine years since Roanoke College bought the courthouse from Roanoke County for $500,000, a controversial sale that was challenged by residents who wanted the building to be renovated for the county Sheriff's Office.
The college moved some classes and offices into the courthouse soon after the purchase. But a lawsuit aimed at overruling the sale slowed the college's plans for renovation, said college spokeswoman Teresa Gereaux.
A Circuit Court judge dismissed the lawsuit, but threats of further litigation continued for months.
While the college focused on an $8million renovation of its library, the courthouse was used as a temporary library.
In an 18-month campaign, Roanoke College raised $2.5 million from 34 donors. The project got under way in the summer of 1994. After night classes, renovation crews would work until sunrise - painting, laying carpet and restoring the original workmanship of the classical revival-style building.
It was closed to classes last summer for the bulk of the renovation.
At 12:30 this afternoon, college President David Gring will unveil a dedication plaque in recognition of the work and the donors.
Gereaux said the dedication also marks a first for the 154-year old Lutheran school: a visible presence on Salem's Main Street.
The former courthouse, built in 1909 and designed by Roanoke architect Henry Huggins, now houses 14 classrooms, 45 faculty offices, study lounges and a 24-station computer lab.
The building is hooked to the Internet and is networked to the rest of campus by fiber-optic cable.
It's also home to four academic departments and four academic programs, including the Henry H. Fowler Public Policy Program.
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