The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 52

the Kirk Avenue Music Hall (since evolved to the Spot
on Kirk), and its accompanying free night-or-so for
performers.
But Ed Walker, a lawyer by education and the son of
a prominent family, rode not only his own energy and
charm, but also events like CityWorks (X)po to elevate
the number of residents in downtown Roanoke to what
the NYTimes piece characterized as "nearly 1,200
residents this year, where once there were fewer than 10."
The fact that downtown Roanoke is now home to
some 2,000 people is simply testament to the measure
of Walker's work and its legacy. With The Cotton Mill,
the Patrick Henry Hotel, the Grand Piano Building
and the Colonial American National Bank Building,
Walker took moribund spaces and transformed them

SPECIAL-OCCASION H 376 DINING-AWARD H FOOD AND NIGHTLIFE
RESTAURANTS
WINNERS
AT 202 MARKET

The Roanoker
m e t r o p o l i t a n

REMAKING
ROANOKE

THE MIDAS TOUCH OF ED WALKER

December 2011

0

74470 65574

52

$3.50
12

9

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019

r o a n o k e

l i f e s t y l e

into places where the likes
of Roanoke favorite-son
Warner Dalhouse would
plunk down just under
$1 million to live, and
elsewhere, where other
Roanokers could rent for
under $1,000 a month.
The big downtown
residential projects were
what put Ed Walker on the
developer map. What gave
him his own unique niche
were the smaller touches
that have helped give our
city not just living spaces,
but the fine touches that
would make the likes of
'80s visionary Bern Ewert
proud. A few:
* The long-abandoned
ice house along the
Roanoke River being
transformed into housing,
a trendy restaurant, an
outdoor consignment shop
and a climbing gym.
* Just down Roanoke
in Grandin Village, the
semi-curmudgeonly
James Tarpley continues
to spend his days tending
Tarpley Park, a kids-withparents-only sliver of land
purchased by Walker for
that purpose.
* 101.5 The Music Place,
Roanoke's first and only
Americana music outlet,
was long sustained by
Walker.
* Rehabbing the 600
block of Day Avenue to
create living spaces with
rents 15 to 20% below
market.

We could continue-on
to the Valleydale building
in Salem, on to the whole
downtown of Buena Vista
and whatever Walker is
doing now that we haven't
yet heard about. But you
get the picture.
Were it only that the
nation as a whole could
have the benefit of such
enlightened aristocracy
leading the way.

THE PERSONAL
NOTE: Our 2011
cover story on
Walker got me in
as hot a tub of
water as perhaps
anything in the
35 years I've
been privileged
to do this work.
Walker wanted a
cover shot that
included those
who worked with
him; he was
adamant that they
be included. And
we shot that
shot. And we
brought that shot
back to the shop
and we decided it
was a great story
opener photo, but
not a cover. The
resulting dismay
from Walker-
in reaction to
his face only on
the cover-was
immediate and
forceful, to the
extent that I
have not tested
if he has decided
to start talking
to us again.

TheRoanoker.com


http://www.TheRoanoker.com

The Roanoker - September / October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - September / October 2019

The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - Intro
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - Cover1
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - Cover2
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 3
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 4
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 5
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 6
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 7
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 8
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 9
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 10
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 11
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 12
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 13
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 14
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 15
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 16
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 17
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 18
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 19
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 20
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 21
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 22
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 23
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 24
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 25
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 26
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 27
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 28
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 29
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 30
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 31
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 32
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 33
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 34
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 35
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 36
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 37
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 38
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 39
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 40
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 41
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 42
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 43
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 44
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 45
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 46
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 47
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 48
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 49
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 50
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 51
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 52
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 53
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 54
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 55
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 56
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 57
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 58
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 59
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 60
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 61
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 62
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 63
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 64
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 65
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 66
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 67
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 68
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 69
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 70
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 71
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 72
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 73
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 74
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 75
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 76
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 77
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 78
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 79
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 80
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 81
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 82
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 83
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 84
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 85
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 86
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 87
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 88
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 89
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 90
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 91
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 92
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 93
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 94
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 95
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 96
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 97
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 98
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 99
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 100
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 101
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 102
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 103
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 104
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 105
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 106
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 107
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 108
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 109
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 110
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 111
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 112
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 113
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - 114
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - Cover3
The Roanoker - September / October 2019 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-march-april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/the-roanoker-january-february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/RKRND21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/RKRSO21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/TheRoanokerJA2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20210506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20210304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20210102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_2020_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20200102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20191112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/TheRoanoker_JulyAugust2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/TheRoanoker_MayJune2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/roanoker_201402
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com