WHEREAS, for 40 years, Center in the Square has served as the premier destination in Roanoke for culture and the arts and as a driving force for progress and renewal in the region; and

WHEREAS, in 1983, a group of local business leaders, in cooperation with the City of Roanoke, formed the nonprofit Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts and Sciences (WVFAS) to develop catalysts for the revitalization of the city's economically depressed downtown area; and

WHEREAS, after receiving the donation of a feed and seed warehouse in downtown Roanoke, WVFAS offered two years of free rent in the building to local nonprofits in hopes of inspiring them to relocate to the heart of the city; and

WHEREAS, the first occupants of the building, the Art Museum of Western Virginia, the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge, the History Museum and Historical Society of Western Virginia, Mill Mountain Theatre, and the Science Museum of Western Virginia, collectively opened as Center in the Square in December 1983 and received more than 45,000 guests in the opening weekend; and

WHEREAS, from its auspicious beginnings, Center in the Square has consistently served as the bedrock of the artistic and cultural life of Roanoke, while transforming itself over the years to both meet the needs of the day and to better educate, entertain, and enlighten its visitors; and

WHEREAS, in recent years, Center in the Square has diversified its clientele to include local businesses, while continuing to offer space rent-free to its beneficiary nonprofits as it has for the past 40 years; and

WHEREAS, today, Center in the Square is home to some of Roanoke's finest attractions, including the Harrison Museum of African American Culture, the Science Museum of Western Virginia, the Roanoke Pinball Museum, Roanoke STARCADE, the History Museum of Western Virginia, Mill Mountain Theatre, and Kids Square Children's Museum; and

WHEREAS, the success of Center in the Square, which has undergirded Roanoke's growth and development over the past 40 years, was made possible through the visionary leadership of its founders, the tireless efforts of its staff and beneficiary organizations, and the unflagging support of the entire Roanoke community; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Center in the Square, a pillar of the Roanoke community that is an integral part of city's past, present, and future, hereby be commended on the occasion of its 40th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Center in the Square as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's history and its contributions to the Commonwealth.