Unsafe, closed Roanoke Station Garage near Amtrak sold
A troubled downtown Roanoke parking garage has a new private owner.
C.W. Francis and Son Inc. sold the Roanoke Station Garage, a 0.57 acre plot of land at 33 Salem Ave. S.W., for $1.4 million May 29.
Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced the sale in a news release Wednesday. Roanoke’s geographic information system database lists the property’s new owner as Shadwell Properties LLC and attorney Ronnie L. Clay as its registered agent.
Thalhimer vice president Wyatt Poats confirmed Shadwell Properties purchased the site.
"The purchaser conducted its due diligence of the property and moved to closing," Poats said. "I expect to have more information at a future date as planning for the property is committed."
The city closed the five-story structure adjacent to the Amtrak passenger rail platform in April 2024, declaring it “unsafe for public use.” Roanoke officials called on C.W. Francis and Son to repair its rusted staircase, elevator that had been broken since 2019 and exposed electrical wiring within a month. Back then, inspectors found rusted rebar indicative of a water leak and concrete missing from a ceiling — which they said created “a danger of concrete chunks falling and hitting cars of people.”
The parking garage on Salem Avenue and First Street in downtown Roanoke has been closed for more than six months now due to unsafe conditions.
The report cited 13 violations of the Virginia Maintenance Code. In addition to the rusting rebar and missing concrete, the violations included wobbly handrails and loose metal cables — the latter of which are designed to stop falls from upper floors. An inspector also saw an assumed homeless person in the stairwell and discovered the odor of human waste in the garage, according to the report.
A follow-up inspection in November 2024 found the garage still required repairs, months after the city’s initial report. On Nov. 15, 2024, Roanoke issued a notice of unsafe structure to the owner. On Dec. 3, 2024, the city issued a citation against the property owner for violating its trash ordinance. A week later, a man got stuck in the broken elevator, prompting a response from Roanoke Fire and EMS’ heavy technical rescue team.
Soon after, Roanoke initiated legal action; the city filed four misdemeanor charges against C.W. Francis and Son for violating building code ordinances, dating back to incidents on Nov. 15, Nov. 25, Dec. 5 and Dec. 15, 2024. The latter three charges were later dropped.
The court found the company guilty of the first charge on Jan. 8, 2026, sentencing it to pay $1,500 in fines and $96 in court costs. The fines and costs were due the day of the trial but were not paid until April 2.
Yellow tape blocks the entrance to the Roanoke Station Garage at 33 Salem Ave. S.W., next to the city's Amtrak platform.
Shadwell Properties was founded on April 8, 2024, and lists its office address as 8166 Roanoke Road in Fincastle. SFR Analytics, a real estate investor data provider, said it is a “buy-and-hold” investor, meaning it obtains properties with the goal of holding them long-term. The GIS database logged Shadwell Properties with two recent purchases apiece in Roanoke County and Botetourt County.
Built in 1954, the Roanoke Station Garage property is zoned for commercial/industrial use. The GIS database said the garage has a land value of $987,000 and an improvement value of $986,100, totaling $1.97 million, on Jan. 1. That’s a $47,000 increase during a year in which the property was inoperable. Its total value has increased $157,300 since the start of 2022.
The Roanoke Station Garage hosted 285 parking spaces before its condemnation, which involved signs placed around the garage to warn visitors that the facility is unsafe and that occupancy and/or use without authorization is prohibited.
The elevator is out at the Roanoke Station Parking Garage in Roanoke.
Other garage parking available for Amtrak passengers includes the Tower Garage (19 Norfolk Ave S.W.), adjacent to the Wells Fargo building, and the Gainsboro Garage, which is on the other side of the footbridge from the platform. There's also a privately owned surface parking lot directly in front of the platform.
Representatives for C.W. Francis and Son and Shadwell Properties did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Sam Mostow (540)981-3251
