O. Winston Link Railwalk
Roanoke, VA
Roanoke is a city that owes its early growth and development to the railroad industry. The City wanted to celebrate Roanoke's railroad heritage with a railside linear park that would link the historic downtown market area with the Virginia Transportation Museum. HSMM worked with City officials to develop a landscaped 15-foot-wide pedestrianway adjacent to the Norfolk Southern tracks. The design team conducted lively public workshops to elicit community participation and support for the project.
|
|
|
|
Key elements of the resulting project include a raised "boardwalk" designed to evoke the architecture and ambience of a railroad station platform; the inclusion of artwork, rail artifacts and other items of interest to draw visitors along the walkway; and a vertical circulation tower at a nearby bridge to link pedestrians to other historic downtown areas. HSMM also assisted the City in obtaining a grant for the project under the federal ISTEA program. The O. Winston Link Railwalk received an Honorable Mention Design Award from the Blue Ridge Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. |
| |
