Roanoke City Market Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
Two brick commercial buildings were added to Roanoke's City Market Historic District in downtown Roanoke. The larger is the three-story Goria Brothers Grocery Building at 302 Campbell Avenue SE, built in 1924 in a commercial vernacular style with modest Italianate touches. Goria Brothers, Inc. built it as a wholesale grocery warehouse on the former Randolph Wagon Yard site, and later wholesale grocers and a hardware wholesaler used it. Interstate 581 construction led to demolition of surrounding buildings, and the building has been vacant since 1980. The second building, at 9 Church Avenue SE beside the No. 1 Fire Station, is a two-story brick structure built about 1920 for the Campbell Motor Car Company. Later occupants included scale and slicing machine companies, billiards clubs and a women's accessories shop. Modern alterations have hidden much of its Italianate design. Both buildings were included because they are similar in age, scale, materials and style to the district's buildings and were linked to the City Market's commerce.
Significance in brief: Both buildings are tied to the commercial history of Roanoke's City Market area and match the district's other buildings in age, scale, materials and style. The Goria Brothers building housed wholesale grocers who served the market. The nomination argues for significance under Criterion A (Commerce/Trade) and Criterion C (Architecture).
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 02000622, listed June 6, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 302 Campbell Ave., SE; 9 Church Ave, SE, Roanoke (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Roanoke (city and county) |
| Listed | June 6, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000622 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1880-1950 |
| Architectural style | Commercial Vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Goria Brothers building has been vacant since 1980; 9 Church Avenue has been an office since 1989 and has been altered by modern changes. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Roanoke City Market Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.27179, -79.93763 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 02000622.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7339775
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.