ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 23, 1996 TAG: 9603250031
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
The downtown Roanoke building that until early this year housed a Heironimus department store was formally offered for sale Friday.
Crestar Bank, acting as trustee for the owner, the Edgar A. Thurman Foundation for Children, is asking $858,500 for the property at Jefferson Street and Church Avenue, a prominent downtown corner.
The Thurman foundation is a charitable trust that gives about $265,000 a year to educational, religious, health care and arts agencies that operate programs for needy children, according to its latest available report.
Michael Waldvogel of Waldvogel, Poe and Cronk Real Estate Group said the former Heironimus building is not being marketed for a specific purpose. But, he added, "I would prefer that it not be a parking lot."
What appears to be one building is actually two structures, Waldvogel said. Together they contain about 102,000 square feet and are being offered as a single property.
The main building was built about 1905 as the Thurman-Boone department store, Waldvogel said. It contains about 73,000 square feet on four floors, plus a basement with another 16,594 square feet. The Heironimus lunch counter and some selling space was in the basement.
The second structure is 11/2 stories high and is on Jefferson Street just south of the main building. It housed the Heironimus men's department and has a separate entrance.
Waldvogel said the second building, which contains about 12,500 square feet, was built no later than the early 1930s. It housed a Woolworth store before Heironimus took over the space.
Heironimus closed the store in January after its lease ended. The retailer cited poor sales for downtown department stores.
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: File/1995 The owners of the old Heironimus building inby CNBRoanoke have put the site up for sale.