
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 23, 1994                   TAG: 9403240009
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

SURVEY COULD LEAD TO CREATION OF RADFORD HISTORIC DISTRICT

An architectural survey under way in Radford could pave the way for designation of one or more historic districts in the city. Architectural historian Leslie Giles, of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources' Roanoke Preservation Office, already has made one visit to Radford, and was scheduled to return this week.

"Radford has been neglected," Giles said Monday. She said only eight historic structures have been identified in the past.

The latest survey fits in neatly with a resurgence of interest in the city's history - prompted in large part by establishment of the Radford Heritage Foundation last year.

Bud Jeffries, chairman of the foundation and project manager of Main Street Radford, said both organizations are cooperating in the survey. Creation of a historic district is one of the foundation's ultimate goals, he said.

Giles said an earlier survey delineated a potential historic district in the city's East End, including the Norwood Street commercial area and some adjacent neighborhoods. But nothing ever came of it, she said. "I'll be looking to see if those boundaries still hold up," she said.

Giles thinks another potential historic district may be discovered in Radford's West End.

"In the best of all possible worlds, I'd like to be able to link both ends of the city" in one historic district, she said. But she thinks Radford probably would end up with two separate districts because there's too much modern construction in between.

Giles' survey will look at buildings at least 50 years old "that have a lot of architectural integrity, that still look like they're old buildings," she said.

She'll be looking for buildings or property associated with historical events or people and that are clear examples of an architectural style that might qualify for listing on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Commercial and residential buildings as well as schools, churches and industrial buildings will be studied.

The survey will not include Radford University.

Giles will take photographs and interview Radford residents as part of the project.

Because of time and money constraints, Giles will limit herself to about 50 buildings in all. "I have to cut myself off at 50 because it's a limited project," she said, adding that she hopes the preservation office can go into more depth later.

Jeffries called the survey "kind of a first step." Once it's done, sometime in April, the city can "figure out where your historic district - or districts - would be located," he said.

The public will get a look at the results during a presentation sometime in late April or early May. "It will be an extensively slide-illustrated program. More than 50 slides, I can guarantee that," she said.

by CNB