Warehouse Row

Warehouse Row. . , The buildings to your right, known as Warehouse Row, once teamed with activity. As Roanoke began to grow, Warehouse Row came into being. The former warehouse are now home to a variety of businesses and downtown living space.

Prior to long distance tractor trailers and trucks, virtually all freight moved on the rails. Non-perishable merchandise was shipped in freight cars and spotted outside loading doors, where men with hand trucks unloaded or loaded the cars. The freight was sorted into designated areas for different customers. There, it was transferred to wagon or truck for delivery. Furniture, housewares, clothing, appliance and some food items made their way into and through these buildings.

Across the railroad on the north side of the track is the site of the original Big Lick depot, where the first train arrived November 1, 1852. A larger depot replaced the original in the early 1870s, followed by a even larger brick building a decade later which became N&W's Salvage Warehouse (where damaged fright was sold off). It was converted in 1923 to a facility for use by Southern Express, later Railway Express Agency (REA).

The REA was the precursor to United Parcel Service, FedEx or any of the other overnight carriers. REA handled package service on regularly scheduled passenger trains at locations like this, and then transferred them to truck for local delivery or pickup. Once regular passenger service began to decline in the late 1960s, REA also declined. By the May 1, 1917 takeover of most intercity passenger service by Amtrak, REA was virtually out of business and the building was of little use. In the early 1980s it was demolished to straighten Shenandoah Avenue, and make room for parking.