Center in the Square

The Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, operating as Center in the Square, is independent, private, and a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It owns and operates four downtown Roanoke properties: Center in the Square, Center on Church, the former Shenandoah Hotel, and the former downtown Norfolk & Western Railway Passenger Station which houses the O. Winston Link Museum. The signature facility, Center in the Square, opened December 9, 1983, culminating a community dream begun in 1977 to revitalize a decaying downtown and boost the arts through a downtown cultural center. Center in the Square is home to four independent cultural organizations: History Museum & Historical Society of Western Virginia, Harrison Museum or African American Culture, Mill Mountain Theatre, and Science Museum of Western Virginia. Center pays the rent for three additional organizations, the O. Winston Link Museum, Opera Roanoke, and Roanoke Ballet Theatre.