Henry Street in 1979

<p>A Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority photograph from 1979 shows Henry Street, the center of entertainment for Black residents of Gainsboro in the 1930s and ‘40s. The brick building at the end of the street, in 1979 called the Palace Hotel, had been in operation as “Hotel Dumas” from 1917 to 1976. Hotel Dumas was listed in the <em>Negro Motorist Green Book</em> as a safe place for Black travelers to stay. Black entertainers visiting the city to perform at the whites-only Hotel Roanoke would lodge at Hotel Dumas.</p>