Who We Are

The Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts and Sciences owns and operates four downtown Roanoke properties: Center in the Square, Center on Church, the former Shenandoah Hotel and the historic Raymond Loewy Norfolk and Western Passenger Station.

Our primary day-to-day activities are to operate these buildings and to raise the funds necessary to take care of all the housing-related needs for seven independent arts and cultural organizations.

The beneficiary organizations housed by Center in the Square are The Art Museum of Western Virginia, History Museum & Historical Society of Western Virginia and O. Winston Link Museum, Mill Mountain Theatre, Opera Roanoke, Roanoke Ballet Theatre, Inc., Science Museum of Western Virginia and Hopkins Planetarium, and The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge.

By providing these services we give each organization's creative staff the time to focus on bringing the best in exhibitions and programming to our region without having to worry about raising funds to cover rent and other building expenses. While helping our beneficiary organizations, Center continues to serve as a catalyst for downtown revitalization and economic development, as well as excellence in education.

Collectively, we draw over 400,000 visitors annually from across the nation and forty foreign countries, including approximately 200,000 children from 44% of Virginia 's school districts whose educational experiences are enriched significantly by the seven organizations. The in-house and outreach programs offered by Center's organizations enhance classroom instruction in science and the arts, preparing students for successful futures.