Peter “Reyn” Holden ’12 remembers the first time he saw the badly faded mural on the side of the One City Plaza building in downtown Roanoke.
Drawing on previous marketing experience, he suggested to the management team that the exposed brick side wall would be an ideal place to sell advertising. They reacted with shock.
“You can’t do that!” they said. “You’ll get run out of town tomorrow!”
That’s when Holden found out that the five-story building he was purchasing as a business investment with his wife, Maria (Carino) Holden ’14, was also the canvas for a significant work of art, Dorothy Gillespie’s 1979 “Accentuated Forms in Space.” The moment he learned that the 50-by-50-foot mural was a beloved but neglected piece of public art painted by a renowned American artist, he was determined to do anything he could to help bring it back to its former beauty.
“It was kind of a no-brainer,” Reyn Holden said. “It’s helping out a piece of history, and both my wife and I are big history fans. There is no way we could let this thing continue to degrade.”
The Dorothy Gillespie mural before (left) and after (right) the restoration.
A few months later, after a successful collaboration between Downtown Roanoke, Inc.; the Roanoke Arts Commission; the Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation; and the Holdens’ company, Quintessence Properties, a crowd of delighted citizens gathered to celebrate the revival of a mural so colorful and vibrant they barely noticed it was raining.
“For 20 years, the artwork we’re celebrating was well loved by the community but fading out of memory,” Roanoke Vice Mayor Joe Cobb told the crowd. “It gave the impression that we had seen better days. When we contacted Reyn after he acquired the property last summer, he didn’t hesitate. … He’s clearly committed to the public good. Not only did he provide us with access to the building and allow us to do the work, he helped fund it as well.”
Reyn Holden earned degrees in economics and business administration at Roanoke College, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha. He later received an MBA from the Darden School of Business at U.Va. After several years working in consulting, financial transformation and strategic planning, he became head of finance and accounting at Truebill, a personal finance app, in 2019. There, he helped scale the business from $10 million in annual revenue to $150 million, ultimately driving the $1.28 billion sale of Truebill to Rocket Companies, the parent group for Rocket Mortgage.
The 1979 Dorothy Gillespie mural in downtown Roanoke is the only one of her murals that still exists. After its restoration this year, the mural is vibrant and colorful again.
It’s helping out a piece of history, and both my wife and I are big history fans. There is no way we could let this thing continue to degrade.
~ Reyn Holden '12
Following the sale, Holden created his own business, Quintessence Businesses LLC, which he named after his grandparents’ farm in Loudoun County, Virginia. Under Quintessence Properties, an arm of his business, he and his wife, who holds a degree in history, began to invest in residential real estate. Soon, they decided to seek commercial property in an affordable community within driving distance of their home in Richmond. Roanoke came to mind because, as Maroons, they both had positive feelings about the area.
“We had a great experience at Roanoke,” he said. “We love the valley and all the things there are to do there. We knew that when the secret got out, others would love Roanoke, too.”
Gillespie, who was born in Roanoke in 1920, was a painter, sculptor and installation artist best known for her large, colorful abstract metal sculptures. She painted “Accentuated Forms in Space” in 1979 to celebrate the Artemis Festival of Women in the Arts. According to her son, Gary Israel, it is one of only two murals she painted in her lifetime – and it is the only one that still exists.
“This mural is significant,” Israel said. “It’s wonderful that it’s here in the community so beloved by her.”
Roanoke Vice Mayor Joe Cobb (left) looks on as Reyn Holden '12 addresses the crowd at the dedication of the restored Dorothy Gillespie mural in Roanoke on May 15, 2023.
Over the course of more than 40 years, the mural’s colors, once vividly jewel-toned, became weathered and faded into a faint, pastel facsimile of their former selves. As the condition worsened over the past two decades, many Roanokers called for the city to restore the work. The Holdens’ acquisition of the building and support for the restoration was the final step needed to greenlight the project.
The restoration was completed by Jack Fralin and Dana James of Best Bet Arts and Media in Roanoke. Doug Jackson, arts and culture coordinator for Roanoke, helped bring together all parties involved in the restoration. “He pulls people together,” Reyn Holden said.
Appropriately, 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the Roanoke Arts Commission, a volunteer body appointed by Roanoke City Council to advise and assist the city in advancement of the arts and humanities in Roanoke. The Arts Commission voted in March to have the Gillespie mural restored as a celebration of its milestone year. This year is also the Year of the Artist, during which the city pledged to invest a quarter-million dollars in community-driven and artist-led projects. Another Year of the Artist project involved new public murals created by Roanoke alumnus Jon Murrill ’09.
“In many ways you can see Dorothy Gillespie’s gift to the city in the late seventies as seeding the strong public and community art program we have today,” said Roanoke Arts Commission Chair Meighan Sharp, “and appropriately, in the Year of the Artist, we’re celebrating this Roanoke daughter and arts legend.”
Reyn Holden '12 talks to a local news crew at the rededication of the Gillespie mural in Roanoke on May 15, 2023.