ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — In the 1960s and 70s, the Gainsboro neighborhood of Roanoke was once a thriving entertainment business district for African Americans known as Tank Town.
As new urban projects sprouted through Roanoke, in 1971 the Roanoke Civic Center, aka the Berglund Center, was built in replacement of Tank Town. As renewal projects in Roanoke City developed, homes and businesses in Gainsboro were also destroyed.
The Berglund Center is now the host of concerts and events and can hold up to 100,000 people. On Wednesday, Feb. 15, the Berglund Center honored Tank Town and its impactful history through the Roanoke Valley.
Through a series of events, the center celebrated the history of the Gainsboro community as well as local historian and activist, Jordan Bell. In a partnership with Douglas Jackson and the Roanoke Arts Commission, a local artist, Bryce Cobbs created a mural dedicated to the history of Tank Town and the Gainsboro neighborhood.
We got to interview alot of people from the Gainsboro Northeast community that were directly impacted by the urban renewal. Just hearting their stories and hearing their insight, and their persepctive from them is what really drove me to really dive deeper with the project, and try to give them something that they could be proud of,”
said Cobbs.
On Wednesday, the Berglund Center announced the commemoration of the Tank Town Tree and the renaming of the parlor rooms in Berglund hall. The tree is the last remnant of Tank Town.
“We really want to honor this community, and show them that they are not forgotten. Our hope is to both recognize and honor the past, while being able to build a new collaborative
future with the Gainsboro neighborhood,” said Robyn Schon, Director of Civic Facilities at Berglund Center.
The center says QR codes will be placed in the Berglund Center area for the community to learn more about Black history in the region.
