River House, a 146,000-square-foot structure overlooking the Roanoke River, was built in the 1920s and was once a storage facility.

Photos by JEANNA DUERSCHERL The Roanoke Times

Cida Pena clears away bricks at the River House near Wasena Park. Exploratory work at the site, which is owned by developer Ed Walker, is under way.

Construction crews are demolishing walls, ripping out old insulation and repairing concrete at a former ice storage facility in Roanoke's Wasena neighborhood.

But what this 146,000-square-foot brick structure overlooking the Roanoke River will become is a mystery.

Crews working for Stanley Shield, a general contractor, recently moved their construction offices into the building, fresh off their latest project, the Cotton Mill Lofts. The lofts are 108 apartments inside a former manufacturing plant on Sixth Street just west of downtown.

Their work is considered exploratory as they uncover the Wasena structure's intricacies. Through a limited liability company, Roanoke developer Ed Walker owns the five-story building at 806 Wasena Ave. S.W. that's sandwiched between single-family houses and the Roanoke River.

The city targeted the structure in its 2003 neighborhood plan as an ideal site for future revival, citing various potential uses, including living and commercial spaces.

Walker's vision is to renovate the building for apartments or condos, though he said he's still trying to determine what kind of project is feasible. It's too early to begin extensive work there, given the same economic constraints that have stunted commercial and residential projects nationwide, Walker said. "Hopefully, we will be in a position to do a project there," Walker said this week. "I don't think it will be for a while."

Plus, the property is zoned as an industrial site. It needs to be rezoned for any other kind of use, said Chris Chittum, Roanoke's planning administrator.

For now, Walker's exploratory work is a way keep people employed during tough times, he explained. Ten people are working at this building, named the River House, while also splitting their time between other area projects in need of basic repairs.

Walker will spend about $100,000 on preliminary work at the River House, according to a city building permit issued last month. So far, he said he has spent $50,000.

While sitting on his porch Thursday afternoon, nearby homeowner David Williams could hear the sounds of drills and other construction at the River House. He said he's glad that some kind of rehabilitation work is starting at the empty building.

"It's been a pigeonhole for years," said Williams, whose brick home on Howbert Avenue sits behind the River House.

Walker has led work to fashion residential life inside some of downtown Roanoke's historic buildings. He co-owns the Hancock, a 58-unit apartment building on West Campbell Avenue and owns 204 Jefferson on South Jefferson Street, which houses high-end condominiums on its top floors and Hometown Bank's headquarters on the bottom level. He also owns the Cotton Mill Lofts.

Walker bought the River House for $441,000 in 2004, according to property records. The building, which was constructed in multiple parts from the early to mid-1920s, once was home to various storage facilities, including apples and ice, Walker said.

"Wasena Self Storage" is written on its brick side.

Walker and his wife, Katherine, used to own a home several blocks from the River House. He spoke fondly of this Southwest Roanoke neighborhood near Wasena Park and the Roanoke River Greenway that's ideal for people who do not want to live in the middle of downtown but want to be central to the area's activities, including outdoor amenities.

Some people who enjoy riding their bicycles have told Walker they would like to live at the River House eventually. They're looking for "the convenience and excitement of city living, but the idea of being on a greenway or a river ... is really important to them," Walker said. "They want to be more physically active."

Still, there are challenges to renovating the River House. It's located in an area that's prone to flooding. For that reason, Walker said he would not put residential units on the building's first floor.

Meanwhile, the inside of the structure remains in the early stages of exploratory work, with piles of old insulation scattered throughout the five floors. The structure was a "dark, deep cave," said Nathan Vaught, site superintendent, before crews began to open up some of the walls and let in natural light.

When they first arrived, they found a single ladder, built against a wall, for climbing from the first to the fifth floor.

Building a staircase was one of the first orders of business, Vaught said.