Roanoke, Virginia’s City Market is the oldest continually operating open-air market in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It began with the issuance of 25 licenses to vendors—then known as Hucksters—in 1882.
In 1886, two years after the creation of a municipal market was authorized by the first City of Roanoke Charter, the City Market Building was constructed. It became the heart around with the Curb Market and Market Square were developed.
The original building was destroyed by fire and replaced by the current building in 1922. It continued to serve as an indoor market for decades but in the mid-1980s was renovated and converted to house an International Food Court. The food court continues to operate, making the City Market Building one of Roanoke’s most popular lunchtime destinations.
The building is a Roanoke icon, with metal roofing among its most prominent features. When the time came to replace the old roof with something new, a new metal system was the obvious solution. Awarded the contract to handle the tear off and replacement project was McNeil Roofing, a Sentrigard™ Metal Roofing Systems Certified Contractor, based in Roanoke.
McNeil fabricated the building’s new 1.5” Snap Lock roofing panels on the job site using a Schlebach Quadro portable rollformer and Sentriclad™ Architectural Metals, both distributed by N.B. Handy under the umbrella of its Sentrigard™ Metal Roofing Systems program. Approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of the 24”-wide, 24-gauge Patina Green roofing metal was utilized for the job.
While looks and performance are bottom line issues for building owners considering a new roof, contractors must be as equally concerned about a whole host of issues, including safety.
“This was a challenging project for a number of reasons,” said John Williams, president of McNeil Roofing, Inc. “It is in the heart of downtown, so parking and safety of pedestrians were concerns.”
And so was the safety of the company’s crew members. Possibly coming from coal cars that ran along the adjacent railroad track, the entire roof surface was coated with a fine residue, making footing slick and dangerous.
“It was like a metal ski ramp,” noted Williams.
Despite the various obstacles it had to overcome, McNeil Roofing prevailed on the project, giving one of the city’s most storied structures a roof that performs as any new system, yet blends comfortably with the aesthetics of an 85-year-old building.
Like everyone, Williams was happy with the way the job turned out. He was also thankful for the support his company received from N.B. Handy during the project. “N.B.Handy was always there to give us the technical information we needed,” he recalled. “They are quick to respond any time we have questions; they are always willing and able to give us the help we need to get the job done.”
For more information about Sentrigard Metal Roofing Systems, visit www.sentrigard.com.