Roanoke, Va. – From Roanoke Fire-EMS Facebook page:
Roanoke Fire-EMS received a very special gift from The Roanoker this week! Renee “Butch” Craft, owner, and Samantha Craft, general manager, donated this beautiful painting to our department.
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The painting was originally commissioned in 1982 by Mr. E. C. Warren, who was the owner of The Roanoker at that time, according to Craft. This artist’s rendering depicts the historic Number 1 Fire Station, formerly located on Church Ave in downtown Roanoke, and was painted by a Walt Disney artist at Mr. Crafton Warren’s (E.C. Warren’s father) request. Butch did not want the painting to be sold, and believed that it would be able to be properly displayed in one of our facilities.
It has now found its new home in the Roanoke Fire-EMS Administration office, located on the third floor of the new Fire Station 1. In addition to the painting of Station 1, they also donated a second painting by the same artist depicting the Roanoke Machine Works Band, which is also on display in our office.