WDBJ7 Archive: Construction of the Dominion Tower
By Joe Dashiell
Published: Oct. 4, 2026 at 3:27 PM GMT+2 | Updated: 2 hours ago
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ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) — In May of 1990, the Dominion Tower was just a drawing. But with a balloon launch instead of a groundbreaking, expectations were soaring.
“In Roanoke, Virginia, anything that’s 20 stories high, we call a skyscraper,” said Mayor Noel Taylor.
While Rev. Taylor was focusing on the building’s height, 320 feet, developer Henry Faison was touting the bottom line.
“You get a major investment and I think what that investment does is help the tax base of the city,” Faison told WDBJ7.
Construction crews got to work. And so did WDBJ7 photographer Dennis Brown, who identified a spot near the old N&W Passenger Station where he returned often to line up his shot and document the construction.
“The most important thing now, once you’ve got your camera set up is to find your reference points down here. One is down near the railroad tracks, a white sign on the lower right-hand corner. And I found a smokestack in the horizon on an existing building,” Brown explained.
The result was a photo essay and time-lapse video that showed the building going up.
In November 1991, people who had watched the construction lined up to take in the view. They looked out on the Roanoke Valley from the **21 st ** floor, which was actually the **20 th **.
“Although we’re standing on the 21 st floor there are only 20. Because of superstitious reasons, builders usually omit the 13 th floor,” said Dominion spokeswoman Brenda McDaniel.
Whatever floor they were on, the visitors were impressed.
“To me it’s wonderful. It’s beautiful scenery no kidding. I didn’t think we had that much scenery here,” said Pauline Amos.
“It’s gorgeous. The view from up here is perfectly beautiful, such a panoramic view of the whole area,” said Janice Johnson.
And while the name has changed along with the region’s banking landscape: from Dominion to First Union, Wachovia and now Wells Fargo. And despite other notable additions to the skyline, including the Taubman Museum of Art, the tower remains an anchor of Roanoke’s downtown business district 35 years later.
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