Category Archives: Architecture

I was walking downtown Roanoke recently and on a side street I spotted this interesting store-front and thought “photo op.” Out of the corner of my eye to the right I spot a bearded guy dressed VERY casually about to pass through the scene I was composing. I made a decision to wait until he’d passed from view, because my rationale at the time was that he’d mess up the composition by being a distraction. How wrong I was. Each time I now look at this photo I think how much more interesting it would have been had I captured this interesting person passing in front of this equally interesting store-front. I can see him being on the left side of the image, about to walk out of the composition; but alas, that’s not to be. A missed opportunity but most definitely a lesson learned.

This is not the first time I have posted images I made outside and inside the beautiful Hotel Roanoke, which is located directly across the street from the old Roanoke Norfolk & Western Train Station. Considering that in earlier times hundreds of train passengers arrived from places near and far, having this large, warm and inviting hotel within walking distance was most welcome. Today, the hotel is mainly home to the popular Roanoke Conference Center, and many come for a day while others come for several. You can see the hotel from a long ways off as you drive along the main highway through the city…and its unique design fits well into the Blue Ridge Mountain region. The hotel has a partnership with Virginia Tech and while I have not been there on a day when the football Hokies are playing in nearby Blacksburg, I bet the place is pretty lively before, during and after the game. Here are three images I made there recently, and each is the sort you will not see on a typical tourist postcard.

The stucco design of the hotel is beautiful.

As you come near the main entryway, there are these inviting rocking chairs sitting in a row.

And lastly, this is the scene that you will see as soon as you walk inside. That’s the registration desk at the right rear. I really liked the paintings along the ceiling.