The front doors at Jefferson Center are red, but the paint has chipped significantly.
It’s superficial damage that signals trouble beyond the century-old building’s entrance. Mechanical and fire protection upgrades are needed, and roofing, plumbing, electrical systems and damaged architecture are among other issues requiring millions of dollars of work in the structure that began its history as a high school.
Cyrus Pace, executive director of the nonprofit foundation that runs Jefferson Center — an iconic Roanoke concert venue that also houses multiple nonprofit and for-profit businesses — has for years lobbied the fiscally challenged city that owns it. He hasn’t given up on the city or the venue, he said, but after 15 years in charge — easily the longest tenure in its quarter-century history — he’s ready to move on…