ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 10, 1996 TAG: 9611080012
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
TOM CLARK, director of senior citizen programming for Roanoke's Parks and Recreation Department, says that when he tells people where he works, even long-time Roanokers sometimes have to scratch their heads and think a while before they realize what he's talking about.
But in 1955, when Junius Blair Fishburn's heirs turned the keys to his home, Mountain View, over to the city for use as a recreation center, everyone knew the place - as the biggest house in town. And there was plenty of media coverage of the ceremony.
The next time the house was in the news was in 1980, when it was added to the Virginia Landmark Register. Otherwise, Mountain View almost seems to have been forgotten through the years. Clark believes it is one of the city's most under-utilized and under appreciated assets.
Today, people want "open active spaces," such as gyms, pools and game rooms, explained John Coates, parks and recreation director. Mountain View - although valuable for giving Roanokers a sense of the city's history - is more appropriate for sedentary activities, he said.
Therefore, it plays host mostly to programs for senior citizens.
Historic buildings like Mountain View also can be expensive to maintain.
Last summer, Mountain View got a $126,000 face lift that included exterior painting and repair work to the outside columns and handrails. It didn't include many needed repairs inside, Coates said.
``We're not trying to fix everything at once. We evaluate the most pressing needs and consider the funds available," he said. Funding for repairs comes from the same budget used for other city buildings. There is never enough to do all the work needed, or to reverse what already has been done in the name of improvements, he said.
Soon after Mountain View was given to the city, the mahogany ceiling beams and woodwork in the library/sitting room were painted turquoise. They have since been painted white. Upstairs, cheap paneling and dropped ceilings were installed in the bedrooms when they were used as office space. In one bedroom, garish purple, blue and white linoleum covers the hardwood floor.
As for the furnishings, a few original pieces still remain, as well as some things that were purchased later by the Woman's Club, but the overall look is definitely folding-chair modern.
Still, for all of its problems, Mountain View is "by far the largest and grandest" example of neoclassical architecture in the region, said Dan Pezzoni, an architectural historian and partner in Preservation Consultants Inc. in Roanoke. "It is unique."
What makes it even more valuable, he said, is that the outbuildings and the setting have been preserved, which is unusual in an urban area.
Mountain View was designed by Henry Huggins, a prominent architect of the time who also designed Roanoke's old Municipal Building and the old Roanoke County courthouse.
When the foundation was poured, it was allowed to cure for a year to minimize settling and cracking later on. The structure was built with steel supports, a brand-new technology at the time, which was reserved mostly for early skyscrapers, Pezzoni said.
Coates said there is no plan for restoring Mountain View to its original condition. If there were, he said, he would like to see the building used for historical interpretive tours, as well as community activities.
"But I don't know how realistic that is." Such a program would require a partnership between the department and private fund-raising efforts, he said.
Meanwhile, the Parks and Recreation Department is taking steps to improve Mountain View's visibility, and to reassess its use.
Like Roanoke's other recreational facilities, Mountain View is open to the public, but only for a few hours each day. Because of staffing limitations - there are two part-time workers in addition to Clark - the center's hours are from 9 to 12 Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 9 to 3 on Friday. The center is closed Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
The house and grounds also are available to rent for weddings, parties, meetings and other gatherings. The cost is $75 for the first hour, and $40 for each hour thereafter. Reservations can be made by calling the Recreation Department at 981-2236.
For Clark, Mountain View is more than just a place to work. He is hooked on the old mansion's charm. He keeps extensive historical files in his office, he has salvaged some of the original Oriental rugs, and at least once a year, he climbs a tall ladder to hand-wash the chandelier in the dining room.
But it's an interest he wishes more people would share.
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. A bridge club plays on folding chairsby CNBand card tables. Mountain View retains only a few original pieces of
furniture. color.