.jpg)
Dec. 18, 2024 Editor, The News-Gazette: The Rockbridge Historical Society writes to express our disappointment with the decision by VMI to demolish two notable and historic buildings on their campus to make way for a new multipurpose facility. RHS, our community’s oldest local history organization, was formed in 1939 in response to the demolition of one of Lexington’s historic buildings on Main Street. While our mission now more centrally focuses on preserving and promoting Rockbridge’s social histories, artifacts, and documents, preservation of the region’s built heritage remains a pillar in that work.
VMI’s rich history is evident on post and at the other historic sites it manages, in its archives and collections, and RHS values is long-standing partnership with VMI in preserving and promoting our local history. In this, we affirm the importance of transparent, recursive lines of communication from both institutional and individual voices in the growth of the university. This is especially true in a small community like ours, where two universities are so influential in shaping our architectural and economic landscapes.
We share the concerns of Lexington’s Architectural Review Board, fellow history and preservation organizations like the Historic Lexington Foundation, and many community members who have written to VMI on this issue, and we encourage consideration of creative alternatives to demolition of Cabell Hall (1880) and Neikirk Hall (1870), such as relocation. We recognize that, in certain circumstances, removing a building may be necessary, but we challenge VMI’s administration and planners in the future to continue seeking options that jointly serve our city’s celebrated historic landscape, and the communal care and stewardship needed to sustain lasting priorities for historic preservation. TOM ROBERTS President-elect, RHS On behalf of the RHS board of directors
