History
In 1949, the Roanoke Merchants Association decided to kick off that year's Christmas shopping season by having a neon star built on top of Mill Mountain. Although the structure was always intended to be a permanent addition, the merchants at first weren't sure if the star should be lit year round. When the star immediately became very popular, the Chamber of Commerce and the Merchants Association decided to keep it lit all year. The Merchants Association is credited with the construction of the star, but no single person claimed credit.
Initially, the star was illuminated in all-white. Later, the star's color would change from white to red to indicate a traffic fatality on that day. As part of the bicentennial celebration in 1976, the design was changed to an outer single star of red encompassing inner double-stars of white and blue. Generally all the colors have been lit at once, but occasionally the colors have been lit in a repeating sequence: each color shows exclusively for a second or two, or in succession. To commemorate a tragic event, the red outer star has been used alone, in a manner akin to a lowered flag. Such commemorations have been made for national and local events. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the star was kept in a red, white, and blue configuration for nearly six years, until April 2007.
On August 12, 2006, the star was turned off for eight days for the city to perform significant electrical upgrades. Outdated junction boxes, transformers, wiring, and conduits were replaced. Many of these devices are from the star's original 1949 construction. The upgrades cost $100,000. The work is expected to save the city more money in the long run due to a reduced need for maintenance.
On April 17, 2007, the star had to be turned off because one of the power lines had been heavily damaged by a tree. When the star was relit on April 22, 2007, officials changed the color configuration to all-white "as a symbol of hope" after the Virginia Tech massacre.
Red, white and blue colors were restored May 24, 2007 and remained that way until returning to all white on September 12, 2011.
Read more about this topic: Roanoke Star
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—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)
“History takes time.... History makes memory.”
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—Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956)