Where Roanoke Comes Together
On any given day, a teenager might be recording her first track in the Music Lab, a nonprofit might be cutting the ribbon on their very first office, and a sold-out crowd might be on their feet for a Grammy-winning artist in Shaftman Performance Hall. That's not a coincidence - it's the mission in motion.We are committed to providing broad access to inspirational performing arts experiences, transformational arts education, and vibrant community space. All under one roof, right in the heart of this city.
Long before Jefferson Center became Roanoke's cultural home, this building was Jefferson High School — and even then, it was designed with something bigger in mind. When architects drew up the plans in 1922, the auditorium was built larger than a school would ever need. The reason was simple: it was always meant to serve the whole community.
From 1924 to 1974, more than 19,000 students walked these halls. When the school closed, the building fell into disrepair — and came dangerously close to demolition. But in 1985, a citizens' committee made up largely of Jefferson High graduates made a different choice. They envisioned a place where local businesses, nonprofits, and the arts could come together under one roof to enrich the lives of Roanoke residents.
That vision became Jefferson Center. And more than 30 years later, it's exactly what this building is.
Performing Arts
From jazz legends to rising stars, Shaftman Performance Hall brings world-class artists to the heart of Roanoke - year-round.
Music education
The Harry and Lavon Webb Education Center runs year-round - with Open Lab, camps led by industry pros, and masterclasses with touring artists.
Community events
Quinceañeras, weddings, med school Match Days, civility luncheons - our halls host the moments that matter to Roanoke families and organizations.
Resident partners
20+ nonprofits and organizations call this building home - doing legal, environmental, educational, and community work every single day.
"The performance on stage, the energy among the audience, the huge turnout, the diverse array of people in attendance — everything was perfect."- Audience member, 2025-2026 season
"Wonderful hall, wonderful people!" - Sam Bush, performing artist
"I wanted to say an extra thank you for being the anchor that my quintet built our tour around."-Todd Marcus, performing artist
Jefferson Center is committed to providing broad access to inspirational performing arts experiences, transformational arts education opportunities, and vibrant community space. Our values — service, gratitude, integrity, innovation, authenticity, and quality — guide every decision we make and every door we open.As we approach our 25th season of performances, the energy in this building has never been stronger. The best is still ahead.
There's always something going on at Jefferson Center — on stage, in the classroom, and in the community.
Every organization has a mission statement. Ours means something. It means the teenager who walks into the Music Lab on a Thursday afternoon has access to a professional recording studio and a world-class instructor. It means the family driving in from Floyd County for a Saturday night show finds themselves in a room that feels like it was built just for them. It means the nonprofit that couldn't afford a downtown address has a home - and a community - right here at 541 Luck Avenue.That's not an accident. It's the result of a deliberate commitment, renewed every single day, to serve this city through the arts, through education, and through the simple act of opening our doors.
OUR VISION
To ensure a culturally enriched community.
Our mission
To provide broad access to inspirational performing arts experiences, transformational arts education opportunities, and vibrant community space.
Service
We are here to serve — our community, our artists, our partners, and each other.
Gratitude
We don't take for granted the trust this community places in us — and we work every day to honor it.
Integrity
We do the work with honesty, care, and a commitment to doing it right — even when no one's watching.
Innovation
We believe it's our responsibility to keep finding new ways to fulfill this mission — and we embrace that challenge.
Authenticity
We don't pretend to be more than we are — and we don't settle for less than our full potential.
Quality
If it's worth doing here, it's worth doing well. Every performance, every program, every interaction.
Compassion
We care for others with kindness, openness, and genuine respect — for who they are and what they bring.
Jefferson Center is committed to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment where every board member, staff member, volunteer, and patron feels respected and valued — regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation or identity, disability, education, or any other bias. We believe that diverse voices and lived experiences make our programming stronger, our leadership better, and our community more whole. This commitment isn't a footnote to our mission — it's part of how we live it.
Jefferson Center didn't start as a performing arts venue. It started as a school — and even then, it was built with bigger ambitions in mind. What follows is the story of how a 1920s high school became one of Roanoke's most beloved institutions, and why the people who saved it from demolition deserve more credit than they usually get.
The Roanoke School Board begins plans to build a new high school on Campbell Avenue. Architect H. Coursy Richards designs the building in the Tudor-Revival style — and the auditorium is built intentionally larger than a school would ever need. The reason: it was always meant to serve the entire community, not just its students.
Built for $147,000, Jefferson High School welcomes its first 1,000 students. The auditorium - a 17th-century-style "shoe box" English opera house design with solid wood paneling, an impressive balcony, and outstanding acoustics - quickly becomes a community gathering place, hosting performances by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conductor Leonard Bernstein and operatic tenor Enrico Caruso.
Over fifty years, more than 19,000 students graduate from Jefferson High School. The building serves generations of Roanoke families — its classrooms, gymnasium, library, and auditorium woven into the memories of a city.
Jefferson High closes in 1974, briefly operating as Jefferson Hall under Patrick Henry High School before its final closing in 1979. For the next six years, the 112,000-square-foot building sits largely empty - structurally sound but badly deteriorated, home only to pigeons.
Roanoke City Council appoints a committee — mostly Jefferson High graduates — to determine the building's future. Demolition is on the table. After two years of research and debate, the committee recommends a different path entirely: transform the building into a center for nonprofit organizations, the performing arts, education, and social services. The vision that guides Jefferson Center today was born in that room.
Led by the late Judge Beverly T. Fitzpatrick Sr., the Foundation launches a $5 million campaign to restore the building through a public-private partnership. The City commits $3 million through a bond referendum; the remaining $2 million is raised from individuals, businesses, and corporations across the region.
The first phase of renovation converts classrooms into office space, adds air conditioning, stabilizes the building, and creates the Fralin Atrium on the second level — named in honor of Horace Fralin, a Jefferson High graduate and major donor. The renovation model attracts national attention: Roanoke wins its 5th All-American City award, with Jefferson Center cited as one of three innovative projects where business, government, and nonprofits collaborate to serve the community.
The Fralin Atrium is named in honor of Horace Fralin — Jefferson High graduate, principal of Fralin & Waldron, and major donor to the renovation.
What was once an automobile repair shop is transformed into Fitzpatrick Hall at a cost of $630,000 — a beautiful, flexible event space for community gatherings, weddings, receptions, and meetings. Named in honor of Judge Beverly T. Fitzpatrick Sr., the hall adds a new dimension to Jefferson Center's ability to serve the community.
The auditorium — dark since the school's closing — is restored in a $9 million campaign with support from Jefferson High alumni, corporations, and private foundations. The City again commits $2 million; the Foundation raises the rest. The result is Shaftman Performance Hall: a world-class, 900-seat venue that takes its name from the Shaftman family in recognition of their extraordinary generosity. The stage that once hosted Leonard Bernstein is ready for a new era.
"The building has been completely restored and retains its sculptured ceilings and original marble and terrazzo floors — a link to our past and an anchor for our future."
More than 30 years after its founding, Jefferson Center is home to world-class performances, the Harry and Lavon Webb Education Center, 20+ resident organizations, and hundreds of community events every year. The building that was nearly demolished is now one of the most active and beloved spaces in downtown Roanoke — and as we approach our 25th season of performances, the best is still ahead.
Jefferson Center has always been more than a venue. It is a gathering place, a creative home, and a reflection of what this community can accomplish when it invests in the arts. That has been true since the doors first opened in this beautifully restored building, and it remains true today.
I am honored to serve as Interim Executive Director during this moment of transition. While our organization looks toward its next chapter of leadership, our commitment to the people and communities we serve has not wavered. The work continues, the doors are open, and the mission is as clear as ever: to make the arts accessible, vibrant, and central to life in the Roanoke Valley.
Thank you for being part of what makes Jefferson Center possible.
Kimberly Billings, Interim Executive Director at Jefferson Center
CEO, Firefli
Senior Vice President and Chair of Surgery, Carilion Clinic
Partner, Gentry Locke Attorneys
Chair of Health Systems and Implementation Science at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Associate VP for Health Sciences & Technology Outreach, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Sales and Development, ABoone Homes, LLC
Chief, Foot and Ankle, Carilion Clinic
Owner, Cardinal Bicycle
Attorney, Frith & Ellerman Law Firm, P.C.
President at Mill Mountain Technologies
Senior Vice President, Pinnacle Bank
Partner, Prime Home Buyers, LLC
Senior Vice President, VRC Properties
Vice President, IBM, Retired
Board Member, Hometown Bank
President/Owner, Personal Best, Inc
Hall and Associates, Inc
Community Leader
Community Leader
We had a wonderful time at the 5th Annual Fall Alumni Gathering.
Enjoy the photos below to get a glimpse of all the fun and festivities!
Volunteer curators are on-site the 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month between 9:30am and 12:30pm working to catalog and display donated items.Come visit us – we welcome visitors and donations!
Call the Development Office at 540-685-2304 if you have questions regarding donations of alumni memorabilia.
A special thank you to Brenda Campbell ’66 and Kathy Patten ’69
for their dedication to maintaining the Memorabilia Room.
Want to keep up with the
Alumni of Jefferson Senior High School?
Jefferson Center’s volunteer program has grown to nearly 200 active participants who donated 2,264 hours of essential services valued at more than $61,580. This vital service enables us to keep tickets and programs financially accessible and our staff size small. Center volunteers range in ages from 9 through 80+. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our growing organization, filling a need that would otherwise be impossible to meet.
Ticket takers, ushers, greeters, merchandise and concessions, and Box Office assistance
Processing mailings (folding, stuffing, labeling, stamping, hand addressing), general office support, filing, telephones, and administrative assistance
Assist with receptions, parties, open houses, and special events.
Assist with administrative projects, fundraising events, special projects, database management, thanking donors, leveraging community connections, and promoting sponsorship opportunities for programming and education
You’ve got the time? We’ve got the opportunities!
An interview and tour of the facility is required as a part of the process and training. To volunteer, or for more information, contact our Volunteer Coordinator by emailing volunteer@jeffcenter.org or sending a message through our contact page.
Jefferson Center’s mission includes providing space to regional non-profits and other community organizations at incredibly low rates, allowing the 20+ organizations that call Jefferson Center home the ability to concentrate on fulfilling their individual missions, rather than a focus on capital concerns.
Please use the button below to see postings of all positions we are currently accepting application for.
Jefferson Center is a nonprofit organization that enriches and educates diverse Southwest Virginia communities by producing high quality performing and visual arts programs, as well as maintaining educational programs like the Music Lab for musically minded teens.
Jefferson Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages the recruitment and retention of qualified candidates for all positions. Jefferson Center encourages members of all diverse groups to seek employment with us.
Box Office: 540.345.2550
Office: 540.343.2624
Toll Free: 866.345.2550
541 Luck Avenue, Suite 221
Roanoke, VA 24016
