Norfolk and Western Railway Company Historic District

Three railroad buildings in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, form a district tied to the Norfolk & Western Railway, the company whose arrival in the 1880s shaped the city's growth. The six-story General Office Building-South, begun in 1896 and extended in 1903 and 1907, is a Neoclassical Revival design in yellow and brown brick with a slate roof. The eight-story General Office Building-North, finished in 1931 to designs by Paul Hayes, is an Art Deco tower with vertical brick pilasters, precast stone and aluminum detailing. The Passenger Station combines a symmetrical Neoclassical Revival structure with Moderne styling by industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who added an entrance portico in 1949. The district is significant for its role in transportation and commerce and for the quality of its architecture. Exteriors remain largely intact, while interiors have been altered by partitions and dropped ceilings but keep many original features.