Mill Mountain Star
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The Mill Mountain Star, also known as the Roanoke Star, is the world's second largest illuminated man-made star, constructed in 1949 at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. It was the largest star ever assembled until the El Paso Star was completed in El Paso, Texas. However, the Mill Mountain Star still holds the claim to world's largest illuminated man-made standing star, as the El Paso Star lies flat on the ground. The Mill Mountain Star has given the city of Roanoke the nickname "Star City", and it has stuck ever since.
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[edit] History
In 1949, a group known as the Roanoke Merchants Association decided that it would be a great kickoff for that year's Christmas shopping season if they built a neon star on top of Mill Mountain. The structure was intended to be a permanent addition to the city from the outset, however, they were unable to decide whether the star should be lit year round or just during the holiday season. It was ultimately determined by the Chamber of Commerce and the Merchants Association that the star should be lit year round, due to its immense popularity. While the Merchants Association is credited with the construction of the star, it is still uncertain as to who originally proposed the idea.
Initially, the star was illuminated in all-white. In 1976, as part of the bicentennial celebration, some of the white neon tubes were changed so that there was an outer single star of red outside of a double-star of white outside of a double-star of blue.[1] Usually, all of the colors have been lit at once, but occasionally the colors would be lit in a repeating sequence with each color showing exclusively for a second or two, or instead the blue inner star would be lit then joined by the white star then joined by the red star, again with a second or two delay. The red outer star has been used alone to commemorate a tragic event, akin to a lowered flag. This has included national tragedies and even local traffic fatalities. The star has been kept in the current configuration of red, white since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
On August 12, 2006, the star went dark for eight days in order for the city to perform significant electrical upgrades. Outdated junction boxes, transformers, wiring, and conduits were replaced.[1] Many of these devices are from the star's original 1949 construction. The upgrades cost $100,000, but the work is expected to save the city more money in the long run due to a reduced need for maintenance in the future.[2]
[edit] Construction
The Mill Mountain Star is 88.5 feet tall with 2,000 feet of neon tubing. It requires 17,500 watts of power to illuminate the neon tubes. Roy C. Kinsey of Kinsey Sign Company built the neon tubes with his three sons Roy Jr., Bob, and Warren. It was assembled near a local airplane hangar to see how it looked before dismantling it and driving it to the top of the mountain to be placed onto a steel structure. Robert L. Little was the Structural Engineer for Roanoke Iron & Bridge Works at the time and helped on the project as well.
Certain sections of the original red neon tubing still exist, while all of the white and blue sections have been replaced. Most maintenance on the star today involves the replacement of transformers and the repairing of circuit breakers.
The star was lit by Mayor A.R. Minton on November 23, 1949. It's always been reported that Mayor Minton was the one to light the star, but Minton only threw a "ceremonial" dummy switch. The actual switch was flipped behind the circuit breaker by Bob Kinsey just as the ceremonial switch was thrown.
[edit] Overlook and Zoo
Directly in front of the star is an overlook that features dramatic views of the Roanoke Valley and, particularly, downtown Roanoke. The overlook is a well known place to photograph Roanoke and also a site that area residents frequently take visiting friends and relatives.
There is also a small zoo near the star on the summit of Mill Mountain. Mill Mountain Zoo was originally designated as strictly a children's zoo, but the number of exhibits and variety of animals has expanded. The zoo gained a brief period of national media attention in July 2006 when a Japanese macaque named Oops escaped for a week. The zoo's best known resident from her arrival in November 1988 until her death on December 10, 2006, was Ruby, a Siberian tiger, which was donated to the zoo by law enforcement officers who found her being kept illegally as a pet in Danville, Virginia.
The star, overlook, and zoo are accessible both from Roanoke and from a spur of the Blue Ridge Parkway. From 1910 to 1929, an inclined railway ran from near the current location of Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital to the mountain's summit. The path of the incline is still clearly visible today. The primary destination at the time was an inn.
From 1964 until it was destroyed by fire in 1976, the former inn served as the first home for the Mill Mountain Playhouse. After the fire, the Mill Mountain Playhouse moved several miles northwest to the recently renovated classic movie theater, the Grandin Theatre in the Raleigh Court neighborhood of Roanoke. In 1983, the Mill Mountain Playhouse became the Mill Mountain Theatre and moved to the new Center in the Square facility on Market Square in downtown Roanoke. The modern facility in the Center in the Square has enabled the Mill Mountain Theatre to become Roanoke's regional theatre.[2]
Many Roanoke area businesses and organizations have "Star City" in their names or use the star in their logos. A few are named after Mill Mountain. One prominent example is Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea, a small local chain of coffeehouses.
The star and the campground around it are popular picnic spots by day. They are also popular hangouts at night, and as such, are regularly patrolled by city police to discourage underage drinking and enforce Roanoke's curfew for minors.
Mill Mountain's summit is 1,740 feet above sea level.
[edit] References
- ^ Bruce, Becky. "Roanoke star going dark for repairs", WAVY-TV, August 10, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-08-20. (in English)
- ^ Leamon, Scott. "Roanoke star set to go dark", WSLS-TV, August 9, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-08-20. (in English)
