The Roanoker - January/February 2017 - 17

STREETS OF ROANOKE
Kroger
It was succeeded here by Thriftway and then Roanoke Natural

GEORGE DAVIS PHOTO COURTESY ROANOKE CITY LIBRARY VIRGINIA ROOM

Foods Co-op.

First National Exchange Bank
Sign fronts the spot where Too Many Books and Starlight Bikes are now.
GEORGE DAVIS PHOTO COURTESY ROANOKE CITY LIBRARY VIRGINIA ROOM

have a brick house and a small spring-fed
pond. All this began to change beginning
in the 1920s and '30s.
When the residential section that encompasses Grandin Road was annexed into
the city in 1919, there was only one business on Grandin Road-Reynolds Grocery
at the southeast corner of Grandin and Memorial (then Virginia Avenue). The popularity of the new homes in Virginia Heights
and Raleigh Court, however, created a demand for small businesses, and by 1929 the
commercial village had taken shape. Homes
had been razed, as grocers, druggists, small
restaurants and a filling station became the
hub of activity on Grandin Road; 16 businesses in all including a barber shop, tea
room, ice cream parlor, plus two churches.
The most defining change to Grandin
Road came on March 26, 1932, when the
Community Theatre Corporation opened the
Grandin Theatre with the film "Arrowsmith,"
starring Helen Hayes. The movie house with
its Spanish-themed interior remains the only
grand movie palace left in Roanoke.
As one moves south on Grandin Road
beyond the commercial village to its intersection with Brandon Avenue, grand
homes line the street, all part of the vision
of the early real estate developers. In fact,
THEROANOKER.COM

here is found what is closer to the original
intent for Grandin Road-stately homes
with expansive lots beckoning the upper
and middle classes to live on wide, wellplanned streets. Some of Roanoke's most
prominent business and civic leaders built
large residences that remain today. Among
them were C.E. Michaels, president of Virginia Bridge and Iron Company, who erected a Colonial-Revival home in 1913 (1731
Grandin); the "Ring House" built in 1925
for Michael Ring, president of Roanoke
City Mills (1812 Grandin); E.H. Ould of
First National Exchange Bank had his 1930
Italian Renaissance home (1902 Grandin);
and Morton Turner, president of American
National Bank had built in 1928 a Colonial Revival home (1930 Grandin). By the
early 1930s, Grandin Road boasted some
of Roanoke's finest residences.

SIGNIFICANCE
Grandin Road looks much the same as it
did a half-century ago. The small businesses
in the "village" thrive amongst a socially
and economically diverse residential section. The grand homes noted above remain
as single-family residences and are just one
or two blocks from older apartment buildings with residents from many place in the

world. The residents and small businesses
are as diverse as the architecture and activity that marks Grandin Road and the
neighborhoods it connects. Little wonder
that city officials often bring economic development prospects to Grandin Road to
help showcase the best of city living.

WHAT HAPPENED?
The 1970s marked a low ebb for the
Grandin Road community. The Grandin
Theatre had dimmed its marquee, several
store fronts were vacant, and some of the
adjacent housing stock had been multiplexed in a misguided strategy to maintain
population. Through the dedicated efforts
of residents, an engaged civic league and
city officials, a neighborhood plan was developed that sought to reverse those trends.
Over time, the initiatives proved effective,
culminating in the Grandin Theatre being re-opened and owned by a non-profit
foundation and becoming the centerpiece
of the Grandin Village once again. Today,
Grandin Road is what was envisioned over
a century ago-a central street anchoring
and promoting a healthy, sustainable neighborhood and commercial center. A "splendid subdivision" indeed!
-NELSON HARRIS
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 | 17

http://www.THEROANOKER.COM

The Roanoker - January/February 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - January/February 2017