Norfolk & Western Railway Freight Station
Also known as: Virginia Museum of Transportation, DHR # 128-6162
Why it's listed
Built in 1916-1918 beside the railroad tracks in southwest Roanoke, this former Norfolk & Western freight station consists of a two-story, fifty-bay brick building about 750 feet long and a one-story-with-basement annex that held freight accounting and division offices. It has steel-frame construction, Flemish bond brick walls, a metal gable roof, metal canopies, and many original rolltop doors. Inside, the concrete floors, exposed roof trusses and brick walls remain, and the annex keeps most of its original office layout. The station replaced older depots that could no longer handle the growing volume of freight arriving in Roanoke, a city that grew around the railroad's shops and headquarters. It served rail freight until 1964 and then stood mostly vacant until Norfolk Southern donated it to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in 1996. It was listed for its local transportation significance.
Significance in brief: The nomination finds it significant under Criterion A at the local level in the area of transportation. It is tied to the Norfolk & Western Railway, which shaped Roanoke's industrial growth for nearly 100 years. The station replaced older, inadequate freight depots and handled Roanoke's freight until 1964.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 12000969, listed November 21, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 303 Norfolk Ave., Roanoke (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Roanoke (city and county) |
| Listed | November 21, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000969 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1918-1964 |
| Architect / builder | Office of the Chief Engineer, Norfolk & Western Railway Co. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated in 1986 and in use as the Virginia Museum of Transportation; the western room is used for storage. |
| Acreage | 3.1 |
| Within district | Roanoke Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 37.27495, -79.94709 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 12000969.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16895953
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.