Noke News explores parts of Roanoke by foot, equipped with a camera and a notepad, in hopes of learning something new. Perhaps you will too.

Into the early evening hours this past Saturday, I went downtown to visit a unique sitting area that’s actually nestled in-between a couple buildings. The plaza is just around the corner from the City Market, and I imagine it’s a very popular spot for nearby workers to come out to and have lunch.

Century Park Plaza (or Century Square as it’s called by a plaque) is most easily seen and reached via Church Avenue, directly across the street from the #1 Fire Station.

However, Kirk Avenue borders on the other side of the park and, if you’re already on-foot downtown, this is the official entrance I’d recommend.

And that’s where we’ll begin, let’s explore:

Just to the right of the plaque, a stairway made of bricks leads the way up to the plaza. At the top of the stairs, and on both sides, are small, narrow bodies of water built into the brick walls.

And sprouting up from within the water are mini fountains, each rising to its own unique height. The soft rippling and splashing of water echoes gently against the surrounding buildings.

Main Entrance to Century Park Plaza, as Seen from Kirk Avenue

Throughout the area are a number of tables with chairs, and benches for sitting, eating, or just gathering. Open spaces in the brick flooring allow for trees to grow and provide shade and cover overhead.

View Into the Heart of Century Park Plaza

As I walked further into the plaza, all other sounds were increasingly replaced by the lively chirping of birds from above. And though it was vacant now, I could tell the park offered plenty in the way of leftover food scraps for these friendly, flying inhabitants.

There are also a series of sculptured columns to the left and right as seen when walking down through the middle of the plaza.

Each one is decorated and colored in various ways symbolic of the culture it represents.

The sculpture for Roanoke (pictured to the left) is complete with a star carved on the top.

A larger, framed marker on the wall mentions that these sculptures are part of the Roanoke Valley Sister Cities network, which is part of Sister Cities International.

Briefly from the organization’s website:

Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between U.S. and international communities. We strive to build global cooperation at the municipal level, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development.

And Roanoke is a part of the global organization. The columns at Century Park Plaza are physical representations of those other cities which are partners with Roanoke in the program.

The City of Roanoke provides pictures of all of the columns on its website.

The other side of the plaza is bordered by Church Avenue. And I stood there on the sidewalk and watched about a half-dozen cars drive past, as I jotted down some final thoughts on this experience.

While writing I couldn’t help but wonder how many of the passerby’s may not have been aware of this distinctive little spot, which isn’t too far off the beaten path at all.

Century Park Plaza, Church Avenue Running Right to Left in the Foreground