Thursday, April 26, 2007
Editorial: Save a local treasure
Returning Mountain View to its original splendor will require support from the Roanoke community.
From the RoundTable blog
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Roanoke City Council's decision to pay the full cost of repairing the historic Mountain View mansion roof hopefully will spur a campaign to save the local treasure.
The city can't shoulder the project alone. The Roanoke community -- particularly people who care deeply enough about preserving the city's past -- must support a grass-roots effort to save the state and national landmark.
To allow Mountain View's aging terra-cotta roof to continue leaking water into the mansion, further damaging the structure, would be irresponsible. Council, in its wisdom, changed its initial pledge to fund only half of the roof repair cost and agreed to fully fund repairs.
But it didn't agree to do so blindly. Already, the city has considered the potential of community involvement.
Mayor Nelson Harris has issued a challenge to residents and the business community. The city parks and recreation department, encouraged by an early groundswell of community interest in preserving the mansion, is launching "Friends of Mountain View," an effort to produce funding, materials and expertise.
The city also is looking at the project as a hands-on restoration opportunity for students, particularly those studying architecture. And several events this year commemorating the mansion's 100th anniversary -- a New Year's Eve gala, for instance -- aim to raise money for later restoration phases.
Mountain View was home to Roanoke businessman Junius Blair Fishburn. He gave the 40-room colonial revival structure to the city in 1955.
Surely Fishburn did not intend for his gift to whither from neglect.
Roanoke pinned some of its funding hopes on $175,000 in matching funds from the state. Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, twice sought matching state money. This year's attempt was killed in a Senate budget committee.
For now at least, restoration rests with the community in which the mansion resides.
The community should respond however it can -- with dollars or with in-kind donations -- and share in saving a treasure.
