The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Francis T. West Hall

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Institution Name: Roanoke College
Original/Historic Place Name: Roanoke County Courthouse
Location on Campus: 301 E. Main St.
Date(s) of Construction:

1910	original construction Huggins, H. H.
1946	additions
1960	additions

Designer: H. H. Huggins (Roanoke, VA)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Beaux-Arts classicism (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education, history
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: stone

Walls: brick

Roof: metal and terra cotta

Function:

ca. 1910-1985	other (County Courthouse)
ca. 1985-present (2006)	academic department building
ca. 1985-present (2006)	classrooms

Narrative:
Built in 1909 and dedicated in April 1910, this former courthouse became a Roanoke College facility in 1987. It is one of the oldest public buildings in the Roanoke Valley, having served the county until 1985, and has been described as one of the best examples of Beaux Art architecture in the state of Virginia.

Roanoke County and the Town of Salem hired Roanoke architect Henry Huggins to execute his design in the classical revival style. Additions to the structure were made in 1946 and again in 1960 when the original courtroom was altered to create a third floor. Today the building serves as an academic center for the College; it houses classrooms and offices for four departments.

References:

Eisenberg, William E. The First Hundred Years, Roanoke College, 1842-1942. Salem, VA: Trustees of Roanoke College, 1942.

Miller, Mark F. Dear Old Roanoke, A Sesquicentennial Portrait, 1842-1992. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1992.

Traditions: Roanoke College Yesterday and Today. Salem, VA: Roanoke College, 1981.

Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission. Main Campus Complex, Roanoke College. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/ Park Service, 1973.