Saturday, March 04, 2006
Editorial: A museum on a hill? Thanks, but no thanks
An idea to relocate Roanoke's new art museum comes far too late, and would change the character of both Mill Mountain and downtown.
From the RoundTable blog
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An 11th-hour idea floated this week to build the Art Museum of Western Virginia on top of Mill Mountain instead of in downtown Roanoke might have warranted some consideration -- last year.
But even if the notion had been brought up in a timely fashion, it still wouldn't be the right decision.
As striking as the museum might look crowning Mill Mountain, the museum belongs downtown.
Mill Mountain is a unique amenity for Roanoke; its wooded, parklike setting provides a convenient getaway for folks in the city, and beyond.
Its prominence and visibility so near the heart of downtown makes the mountain an attractive target for The Big Idea. In the past, Mill Mountain has been suggested as a location for the national D-Day Memorial and the Sister Cities Sculpture Garden.
As developer Dale Wilkinson said, "Mill Mountain is the crown jewel in the Roanoke Valley, certainly the most valuable piece of real estate here."
Many Roanokers, though, believe Mill Mountain is most valuable just as it is, which is why city council members just approved the Mill Mountain Management Plan. Supporters hope that will lead to a conservation easement to protect much of the mountain from development.
The author of the idea to relocate the museum site, Center in the Square board chairman Thomas Brock, thinks putting the museum at the top of Mill Mountain would "psychologically and physically instantaneously change the boundaries of downtown Roanoke."
But Mill Mountain will never be downtown Roanoke, and putting the museum there would make both the museum and downtown less than they would otherwise be.
A museum surrounded by a vital downtown, with restaurants, shops and other attractions within walking distance, will attract more visitors and lead to more synergy than a museum atop a mountain.
But the museum would attract enough visitors to forever change the character of Mill Mountain -- and not most likely in the best way.
The people of Roanoke and surrounding areas make good use of Mill Mountain now, and appreciate it for what it is.
Some museum supporters fear that Brock's idea has the potential to ignite another endless, Victory Stadium-like debate that could conceivably derail the entire project.
That shouldn't be allowed to happen. City leaders should give the idea a polite -- and very brief -- hearing, then move on.
