'Friends of Mountain View' Seeks To Restore Roanoke's Historic Fishburn Mansion

Henri Gendreau -
A nonprofit has formed to raise funds for the restoration of Roanoke's Mountain View Recreation Center. PHOTO BY HENRI GENDREAU FOR THE ROANOKE RAMBLER

Help is on the way for Roanoke’s last city-owned mansion.

The Mountain View Recreation Center, casually referred to as the Fishburn Mansion, needs as much as $2 million in repairs, according to Michael Clark, the city’s director of parks and recreation. The 42-room Georgian Revival home, built in 1907, hosts fitness and arts programs.

But rotting wood in the porch columns and balusters, a leaky roof over a breakfast nook, and a mold issue in the mansion’s rear threaten the building’s vitality.