American Viscose Plant Historic District

Morningside is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in east, central Roanoke, along the north bank of the Roanoke River. It borders the neighborhoods of South Jefferson and Riverland/Walnut Hills on the west, Kenwood and Riverdale on the east, Belmont on the north and both Garden City and Mill Mountain on the south. In being the location of the former American Viscose plant, the Morningside neighborhood exhibits both industrial characteristics as well as development patterns typical of those experienced for an American city during the early 20th century.

The Roanoke Region ( ROH-ə-nohk) is the area of the Commonwealth of Virginia surrounding the city of Roanoke. Its usage may refer to the metropolitan statistical area or the Roanoke Valley, but it sometimes includes areas in the Allegheny Mountains and New River Valley which includes Alleghany County, Montgomery County, Covington, Clifton Forge, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford. Bedford County and Floyd County are sometimes included as part of the region. The Roanoke Region, excluding communities in the New River Valley, has a population of 316,802. If including the New River Valley, its population is 475,130. Both the Roanoke Region and the Roanoke MSA are sometimes referred to as the Roanoke Valley (or Greater Roanoke Valley) and are often included in the NewVa region. The Roanoke Valley, however, more accurately describes the geographic depression between the Blue Ridge Mountains where many of the region's communities are located (see Roanoke Valley). Notable places and landmarks in the Roanoke Region include the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Allegheny Mountains, the Roanoke River, Virginia Tech, the Mill Mountain Star, the Booker T. Washington monument, the Fincastle Court House, and Smith Mountain Lake.

Riverdale is a neighborhood in southeast Roanoke, Virginia, in the United States. The neighborhood lies along the south bank of the Roanoke River. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Morningside on the west, Kenwood on the north, Garden City on the south and the town of Vinton on the east. The neighborhood is predominantly residential in character, and its development patterns are typical of those experienced for an American city during the early to mid-20th century.

Buena Vista is a historic plantation house located in Roanoke, Virginia. It was built about 1840, and is a two-story, brick Greek Revival style dwelling with a shallow hipped roof and two-story, three-bay wing. The front facade features a massive two-story diastyle Greek Doric order portico. Buena Vista was built for George Plater Tayloe and his wife, Mary (Langhorne) Tayloe. George was the son of John Tayloe III and Anne Ogle Tayloe of the noted plantation Mount Airy in Richmond County and who built The Octagon House in Washington D.C. The property was acquired by the City of Roanoke in 1937, and was used as a city park and recreation center.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.Earlier History There are handwritten notes on the deed card that describe a much earlier history of the property. “The first building on this tract was log and frame. In 1853 a brick building was built by Geo. P. Tayloe. In 1889 George P. Tayloe enlarged and modernized the present building. David Bryan, Sr. will called this building the mansion house. The Tayloe papers refer to it as Roanoke – and later as Buena Vista. This tract was originally called the “Bottoms” and at the lower end was the Totera town visited by Batts Wood and Fallam in Sept 1671.” Ownership History

The Roanoke Star, also known as the Mill Mountain Star, is the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star. It was constructed at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia in 1949 by the local merchants association to draw publicity and trade to the city. The star was initially intended to be lit only during Christmas seasons, but was popular enough with the citizens of Roanoke that it is illuminated every night year-round. It stands 88.5 feet (27.0 m) tall and weighs 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg), rests 846 feet (258 m) above the city of Roanoke, and is visible for 60 miles (97 km) from the air. Its 2,000 feet (610 m) of neon tubing are typically lit entirely in white, but have the ability to shine solely in red (historically for tragic events), or in red, white, and blue (for patriotic holidays). The star has become a symbol of Roanoke and the source of its nickname "Star City of the South", and it along with its accompanying scenic overlook are popular tourist destinations in the area.

The Riverland Historic District encompasses an early 20th century neighborhood on the south side of the Roanoke River in Roanoke, Virginia. The area consists of a portion of the residential area bounded on the south by Walnut Avenue SE, on the east by Arbutus Avenue SE, and on other sides by the river. Most of the included properties are either on Arbutus Avenue or Riverland Street, with some also on Piedmont Street and Walnut Avenue. The neighborhood is one of closely spaced residential properties built to provide housing for workers in nearby businesses. It was developed by the Highland Land Company, and was mostly built out between 1900 and 1930.The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

Riverland/Walnut Hills is a Roanoke, Virginia neighborhood located in southeast Roanoke south of the Roanoke River. It borders the neighborhoods of South Jefferson and South Roanoke on the west, Morningside on the east and Mill Mountain on the south. The neighborhood is divided into the Walnut Hill area at the base of Mill Mountain, and the Riverland area along the Roanoke River, with Virginia State Route 116 running through the entire area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Riverland/Walnut Hills has a population of 1,033.

Roanoke City Firehouse No. 6 is a historic fire station located in the Belmont neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1911, and is a two-story, three-bay, hipped-roof building. in an effort to blend the station into its residential surroundings, it was constructed to resemble an early-20th century American Foursquare dwelling embellished with Classical Revival details. A wide center bay and two large double doors distinguish it from the homes in the neighborhood. The station was one of three with the same design that were built by architect Homer M. Miller and all put into service on the same day in September of 1911. As of 2023, one of the other two stations survives and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 as City of Roanoke Fire Station No. 5. The three stations were the first in Roanoke to be built for and equipped with motorized firefighting equipment. They were integrated into the neighborhoods they were built to serve, limiting their need to travel farther than 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in response to a call.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. After ceasing operation as a firehouse in 1979, the building was converted to use as a community center, and later as a satellite police station.

The Roanoke Valley ( ROH-ə-nohk) in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west. The valley includes much of Roanoke County, as well as the two independent cities of Roanoke and Salem.

Belmont Methodist-Episcopal Church is a historic church building, located in the Belmont neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. It was built as a Methodist Episcopal church between 1917 and 1921, and is a three-story, brick, late Gothic Revival-style church. It features a tall bell tower, complex roof form, steeply-pitched gables and parapets, large pointed arch windows, crenellated corner towers, buttresses, cast-concrete quatrefoils, and other detailing. Capacity within sight and hearing of the pulpit is 1,000, as the original auditorium (seats 440) was enlarged with an adjoining parlor (75), an adult assembly room (260), and a gallery (225).In a notice from 1917, H. L. Cain is named the architect of the church building, and the cost of the building was initially budgeted at $50,000.00.The building was sold in 2003 to the Metropolitan Community Church of the Blue Ridge, who used it as their sanctuary; that church has since vacated the building. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2011. Since 2019, it has also been a contributing structure to the NRHP-listed Belmont Historic District.

The Mill Mountain Zoo is a zoo located atop Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. When it opened in 1952, the zoo was operated by the City of Roanoke. In 1976, the city turned its operation over to the Roanoke Jaycees. The Jaycees operated the zoo until 1988 when its operation was handed over to the non-profit Blue Ridge Zoological Society (BRZS). The BRZS still serves as the operator and fund raiser for the zoo.

The Belmont Historic District is located in the southeast section of Roanoke, Virginia, US. It consists of an irregularly-shaped 214 acres (87 ha) of primarily residential housing located to the east of the city's downtown and south of the Roanoke Shops. The district's history coincides largely with that of Roanoke City's industry. Its original housing served the employees of the recently arrived Norfolk and Western Railway beginning in 1888. Later development in the district was built to provide housing for workers at the American Viscose Plant after that mill opened in 1917. The district includes a wide range of architectural styles among its 809 contributing structures. Located within the district are three buildings previously listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the district itself was listed to the Register in 2019.