History restored: City Market Building lights up downtown Roanoke again with neon sign

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Two neon signs that once adorned the exterior of the City Market Building are back after more than a decade in storage.

Elliot Broyles, Market Building Foundation’s executive director, stopped by WDBJ7 to share how the historical project came together.

Originally placed on the building following a previous renovation in 1985, these signs became a beloved landmark in Downtown Roanoke. Market Building Foundation Executive Director Elliot Broyles said, “We’re extremely excited to have these signs back where they belong, facing the historic City Market and welcoming visitors from the Hotel Roanoke.”

The characters were removed prior to a renovation of the building in 2011.

The Market Building Foundation completed the signs’ restoration project in collaboration with the City of Roanoke Arts Commission and Downtown Roanoke Inc.

The signs were discovered several years ago in former Fire Station No. 1 on Church Avenue.

Ownership of the signs was later transferred from the City to the Market Building Foundation in 2017, and they have been stored since then.

In 2021, The Roanoke Arts Commission and Downtown Roanoke Inc. partnered with the Market Building Foundation to fund the renovation of the signs. Architectural Review Board approval was required and granted for the project.

The City Market Building stands at the center of the Market District in Downtown Roanoke. The building continues a long tradition as a food center and gathering place.

For more information about the Market Building and the businesses it houses, visit CityMarketBuilding.com.

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