Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library
The Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library, also known as the Gainsboro Library, is a historic library building located in the African-American neighborhood of Gainsboro in Northwest Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1941–1942, and is a one-story, seven-bay, L-plan Tudor Revival style brick building. The library provided African-American residents of Roanoke's segregated Gainsboro neighborhood with a library facility where children and adults could pursue self-education with advice and assistance from competent and dedicated librarians. It replaced Roanoke's first African-American library which had been established in 1921 in a rented commercial storefront space.
Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library | |
 Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library, June 2010 | |
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| Location | 15 Patton Ave., NW, Roanoke, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°16′38″N 79°56′29″W |
| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | 1941-1942 |
| Architect | Eubank & Caldwell |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001448[1] |
| VLR No. | 128-0256 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 2, 1996 |
| Designated VLR | September 18, 1996[2] |
Land for the new building was purchased from St. Andrew's Catholic Church.[2] "...Mrs. Lee asked Father Thomas of St. Andrew's Catholic Church about leasing church land in the Gainsboro area for a library. He didn't have the authority to do that himself, but instead helped Mrs. Virginia Dare Young Lee draft a letter to Pope Pius XII in Rome about the matter. The Pope's response was beyond all expectations. Land was granted '...for ninety-nine years for the use of the Public Library.'"[3]
The deep slate roof and large bay windows give the library building a home-like appearance, as does the high ceilings and large rooms.[4]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, and is part of the Gainsboro Historic District.[1] It underwent significant renovations in 2009 and 2020.[5]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- John R. Kern and Leslie A. Giles (July 1996). "National Register of Historic Places: Gainsboro Library". Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
- "Virginia Dare Young Lee." Notable Women West of the Blue Ridge 1850-1950." A project of the Colonel William Preston Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Historical Society of Western Virginia. Page 101.
- "Gainsboro Library". Roanoke Times. Discover History & Heritage. February 2018. Page 45.
- Berrier, Ralph (13 September 2020). "Gainsboro Library to close for improvements". The Roanoke Times.
External links
Media related to Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library at Wikimedia Commons
