The Roanoke Times | File 2005

With sons Hunter (right) and Garland behind her, Carol Crawford Smith is led to the limousine by "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" host Ty Pennington during taping of the show in Blacksburg.

The building in which a Blacksburg dance studio once profiled on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" operates has been closed for safety concerns.

Blacksburg Building Official Cathy Cook closed the building on the 200 block of Draper Road to the public because a leaking roof caused flooding and water damage following heavy rains Tuesday, she said.

Cook said she found water flooding a staircase in the building, pooling on floors and seeping through electrical fixtures. The building cannot be reopened until the roof is replaced and the electrical system is inspected for damage, she said.

Because of the closure, classes were canceled this week at the Center of Dance, owned by Carol Crawford Smith.

In 2005, Crawford Smith -- a former ballerina stricken with multiple sclerosis -- received a new house on Ardmore Street through the "Extreme Makeover" show. An episode of the show featuring Crawford Smith aired in February 2006.

More than 4,000 volunteers, including an estimated 300 businesses, contributed to the Crawford Smith "makeover." As part of that project, volunteers also remodeled the Draper Road dance studio she has owned since 1994. The cost of the studio work alone was estimated at about $300,000.

The general contractor who built Crawford Smith's new home expressed dismay Thursday over the closing of the studio.

Given the significant investment of volunteer labor and time put into the studio space, "you'd think the landlord would at least keep a good roof on that building," said Bob Fetzer of Building Specialists.

"This is a huge loss for Carol, and I think it would be a hardship for her to scramble to find a new space," he said.

Cook said she found leaks in the studio and the building in March and April and issued property maintenance violation notices both times. On at least one visit, the building official said she found buckets in the ceiling set up to catch water, but they were overflowing.

The town then ordered the building's owners to replace the roof and gave them a deadline of June 30. They missed that deadline, Cook said.

In a notice dated July 1, Town Attorney Larry Spencer wrote that he is pursuing court action against the building's owners.

According to town records, David Branch of Blue Ridge Realty in Blacksburg, William and Robert Cranwell of Florida and David Frizzell of Blacksburg are responsible for the building.

Reached at his Draper Road office Thursday, Branch said he is working with the town on a plan to replace the roof and that he hopes to have a construction contract in place by July 18. Maintenance crews have worked on the roof since Tuesday, finding and patching problem areas and installing tarps, Branch said.

"Patching worked fine for a while," Branch said of the roof . "But with water it's a tough thing to deal with sometimes.

"I know it's been frustrating for her at times," Branch said of Crawford Smith. "But we've always been able to work out any problems. I think she's happy with her space."

Crawford Smith could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Cook, who worked as building official on the "Extreme Makeover" project in 2005, said she has arranged meetings between Crawford Smith and another Blacksburg landowner about the possibility of a new location for the dance studio.