“Mountain View,” the historic home in SW City built at the turn of the century and donated to the city by newspaper and banking magnate Junius B. Fishburn, is a stunning site at first glance from 13th St. / Memorial Ave. But if you look a little closer the sagging eves and rotten wood that is literally falling from its pillars and pilasters is a sad reminder that, like several other Roanoke city owned community treasures, the once grand home has been allowed to sink into a desperate state of disrepair and neglect.
But help is hopefully, if not slowly, on the way. In 2007 City Council finally voted to fund $350,000 towards a $1.5 Mil- lion restoration of the building and roof repairs that stopped the worst of the damage from continuing took place shortly thereafter. According to the City Manager’s Office the roof work was part of a three phase restoration effort that was made possible through a combination of city funds and Community Development Block Grant funding.
The second phase will include an extensive exterior resto- ration scheduled to begin sometime in 2010 that will include help from “Friends of Mountain View” – a group that formed in 2008 to encourage citizens to volunteer time and make contributions to restore the home. Pres- ently thirteen people are members of the group that is also seeking to secure funding needed to complete the restoration. Once the exterior phase is finished, the planned third phase will include interior restorations.
The President of the Mountain View Neighborhood Association, Greg Ervin, has also expressed an interest in bringing a group of neighbors out to volunteer in the spring. The city plans to hold a community restoration day in early May for interested citizens. For more information on how you can help save this treasured landmark that is now a community events center contact Michael Clark, Recreation Superintendent, at 853.1198 or email him at [email protected].
By Stuart Revercomb [email protected]
