Jefferson Center

When Norfolk and Western Railway planted its headquarters in Roanoke in 1882, the town of Big Lick exploded by a factor of 22 in two years. By 1924, that boomtown needed schools, and the city commissioned Frantz & Addison to design Jefferson High School in Tudor Revival — brick and stone, steep roofs, the style the railroad's own Hotel Roanoke had made the city's architectural signature. The building stands at 541 Luck Avenue Southwest, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's now Jefferson Center, a performing arts complex. Shaftman Performance Hall seats 932 for the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and Opera Roanoke, both resident companies. Touring acts and lectures fill the calendar. The Fitzpatrick Hall black box theater seats 200 for intimate productions. The conversion preserved the Tudor Revival exterior while creating performance space inside — what was built to teach now houses what a rail city makes when the railroad leaves. Check jeffcenter.org for the current schedule.