Sunday, November 25, 2007
Bonsack isn't alone in being threatened
Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times
Deedie Kagey lives in a house built in 1836. It's one of the oldest remaining residences in Roanoke County, and the Bonsack resident is afraid she will lose her house to development. Already, she and her husband, Monty Williams, can see a Lowe's and Applebee's from their sunroom.
In addition to the village of Bonsack, the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation listed several other threatened historical, cultural and ecological resources on its list of "endangered sites."
n Buena Vista, a mansion in Jackson Park in Southeast Roanoke, was built about 1850 and sold to the city in 1937. It is listed on the state and national historic landmark registers and has been home to the regional office of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources for the past two decades. It was listed as endangered because it is being put up for sale by the city "without any protective covenants."
Villa Heights Recreation Center, also known as the Compton-Bateman House, is on land once owned by William McClanahan, an early settler of the region. It also has been put up for sale by Roanoke without a protective covenant or easement, something the foundation is urging. Both it and Buena Vista were on the list in 1999 because of neglect by the city.
Patrick Henry Hotel, a Colonial Revival structure built in 1925, faces an uncertain future since being closed by the city for a lack of updated fire sprinklers. Portions of the building, which also is on state and national historic registers, have been open only sporadically for special events in recent years.
Elmwood Park, a centerpiece of downtown recreation since 1911, is in danger, the foundation says, because some city council members are urging it as the site for an amphitheater. Such a use would destroy much of the park, the foundation fears. The park also has historic links to some of the earliest settlers in the Roanoke Valley.
The Roanoke Valley's tree canopy is the final "endangered site." Trees need to be protected from destructive and unsightly trimming, such as so-called "v-cutting" for utility lines. The valley also needs tree preservation ordinances to maintain healthy, planned tree growth, the foundation said.
