Henry Street Historic District

Henry Street, also called First Street, in Roanoke's Gainsboro neighborhood was the commercial and entertainment heart of the city's African-American community in the first half of the 20th century. Five buildings remain of a once larger three-block district: the 1917 Hotel Dumas, the 1923 Strand Theatre, a doctor's office from about 1945, and small storefront buildings from 1951 and 1962. The hotel lodged touring performers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Cab Calloway during segregation, while the Strand hosted musicians and, from 1924 to 1925, the film company of Oscar Micheaux, who made several films in the neighborhood. Doctors and dentists also kept offices nearby, tied to the founding of Burrell Memorial Hospital. The district was recognized for its importance in commerce, entertainment, health care and Black ethnic heritage from 1917 to 1954. The buildings have stood vacant for about twenty years, and the theatre has lost its roof.