Grandin Court in Roanoke, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Coffee Pot
2902 Brambelton Ave.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023
1. The Coffee Pot Marker
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1936
Erected by United States Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1936.
Location. 37° 14.598′ N, 79° 59.469′ W. Marker is in Roanoke, Virginia. It is in Grandin Court. It is at the intersection of Brambleton Avenue Southwest (U.S. 221) and Ashby Street Southwest, on the right when traveling north on Brambleton Avenue Southwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2902 Brambleton Ave SW, Roanoke VA 24015, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Mountain Region and in Southwest Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fishburne Park Flagpole (approx. 0.6 miles away); Virginia Western Community College Memorial (approx. one mile away); Virginia Western Community College (approx. 1.1 miles away); McNeil Drive (approx. 1.1 miles away); Old Lutheran Church (approx. 1.8 miles away); Lee Highway (approx. 1.8 miles away); Fire Station No. 7 (approx. 1.8 miles away); Roanoke Memorial Bridge (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Roanoke.
More about
this page online
Regarding The Coffee Pot. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:
The Coffee Pot was built in 1936 on what later became U.S. Route 221 (Brambleton Avenue) in Roanoke County, before being annexed into Roanoke City in 1943 by Clifton F. and Irene L. Kefauver. He was secretary-treasurer of Howlkes and Kefauver Real Estate and General Insurance. He had previously purchased the land as well as other adjoining parcels in 1931 and 1933. The land where the Coffee Pot was constructed was part of the Evergreen Development Company subdivision fronting "new State Highway 221." The property was sold in September, 1937 to M.F. Brown, and is described in the deed as a "filling station and tea room known as the Coffee Pot." Tea rooms were a 1920's solution to a place along the highway to purchase a meal. They were usually managed by women. By the time the Coffee Pot was built, the institution was in its waning days.
The establishment served as an active filling station for only a brief period of time. Though designed as a tea room, the Coffee Pot became a roadhouse where primarily locals came to dance, drink beer and socialize. The Browns sold the property in November 1945 to Harold and Frances LaGrande whocontinued to operate it as a roadhouse. The LeGrandes sold it to Joseph and Helen Graylob in 1957. Wiley Jackson purchased the property in 1960, selling it three years later. It was during these years that the Coffee Pot was known by another name: Joe's Ranchhouse Restaurant. Throughout its history, the roadhouse has played host to many musical acts including Willie Nelson, Richie Havens, Dickey Betts, Rick Derringer, Ritchie Valens, Danny Gatton, and Root Boy Slim.[5] Regional acts also made the Coffee Pot a regular part of their tour, including SNUFF and the Skip Castro Band. As a result of the numerous big-name acts that have performed at The Coffee Pot, the venue has been dubbed by some as the "biggest small stage in the South."[6] John H. and Margaret M. Wagoner owned the property from 1963 to 1968 and then sold it to LCN Corporation, Inc. Brambleton Avenue Associates, the present owners purchased the property in 1979. The Coffee Pot continues as a well known local entertainment designation featuring live music on weekends.Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 20232. The Coffee Pot Marker
Also see . . .
1. The Coffee Pot (PDF). National Register nomination and photographs submitted for the roadhouse, which was listed in 1996. (National Archives) (Submitted on July 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. A Roadhouse Full of Memories. Her tale is just one in a legion of yarns about The Coffee Pot, a watering hole for generations of Roanokers, where friendships blossomed, romances kindled, and probably a few livers were ruined. (Dan Casey, The Roanoke Times (June 29, 1995) via Virginia Tech Libraries) (Submitted on July 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2023. This page has been viewed 720 times since then and 96 times this year. Last updated on November 26, 2025. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
