Mystery at Hotel Roanoke: "Where's the Logo?"
Can you help solve it?


In an online discussion about the forthcoming renovation of the N&W General Office Building, John McRae made the following comment. It has touched off a fascinating stream of questions and speculation. Email your clues and comments to mailing-list@nwhs.org

[John said:]

What has worried me about the change of ownership of the General Office Building is what will happen to the big N&W logo in the floor inside that building. It is part of the beauty and heritage of that building. The huge logo in the lobby of the hotel across the street never made it in the renovation, and I consider that a big loss. I recognize that neither facility is now affiliated with any railroad, much less NS, but still it is a big loss!

Discussion to Date:

[Raymond D. Smoot, Jr., VP for Finance and Treasurer, NS Corp.]

I am curious about the reference to a large N&W logo previously located in the lobby of Hotel Roanoke. This logo was not present in the lobby when the hotel was donated to Virginia Tech. Considerable care was given to maintaining, as nearly as practicable, the historic appearance of public spaces in the hotel during the renovation. In recognition of Norfolk Southern's gift of the hotel to Virginia Tech and the hotel's railroad heritage, a sculpture of the Norfolk Southern thoroughbred was made and placed in the hotel lobby.

Hotel Roanoke is still a great place to watch trains from. Just ask for a room on the front of the hotel.

[Ron Davis adds:]

For anyone interested in staying at the Hotel Roanoke during the Convention, their phone number is (540)985-5900. I know of at least a couple of members who will be staying there during the Convention.

[and back to John McRae:]

I talked with a good friend of mine today who was very familiar with that hotel, and he recalled the logo very well.
The lobby was large, and this logo crossed the entire floor and was in the tuscan red color. There was no background, other than the floor itself.

It was the logo with the N & W in the circle, for lack of a better way to describe it. We both feel that the logo could have been removed some time before the hotel closed that last night, by party or parties unknown, before the university took possession of it. Otherwise, knowing the approach the university would have taken to preserve this, probably that logo would be there today.

[Ray Smoot again:]

Thanks for this additional information on the N&W logo that once was in the lobby of Hotel Roanoke. I believe you are correct that the logo was removed sometime prior to the restoration of the property by Virginia Tech. Several weeks ago I checked with Don Piedmont about such a logo. As you know, Don was the PR person with N&W starting in the 1950's. Don alsowrote a book five years ago about Hotel Roanoke. Don reported that he does not recall such a logo being in the lobby at any time he was associated with the railroad. We will continue to look into this and try to determine when the logo was removed.

[Rick Morrison writes:]

I was a guest there on several occasions between 1957 and the early 1980's and I don't recall an N&W logo. Could it perhaps have been a HR logo for "Hotel Roanoke?" I seem to remember this in the foyer area of the lobby. As I recall, the association between the railroad and the hotel was rather low key. It was common knowledge that N&W owned it, but if you were not a knowledgeable guest, you probably would not have suspected it. I remember a hotel brochure that had in fine print at the bottom: "A Norfolk and Western Property."

[Jim Fariss:]

I too was fequent guest at the hotel -- during the late 1940's through the 50's, and my memory is that there was a fairly large logo in the floor -- N&W. I would be interested in others' memories.

[John McRae]

It looks like we are going to have some questions on this one. It is possible, I suppose, that this logo on the main lobby floor might well have been an HR logo. My memory on this puts it back pretty far, and I have had a friend in Indiana tell me that he used to go in that hotel a lot and see it too. I recall wondering what I was walking on, and going to the door to the hotel to look at it and try to get a perspective. It was very large. I hope that we can get to some answers on this.

[Email your clues and comments to mailing-list@nwhs.org ]

[Posted 28-May-99]


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