The law firm of Waldo and Lyle, which fights for the property rights of others, has been fighting the good fight for a new home of their own. With their open house on Sept. 28, they unveiled their offices in Yarmouth House, located at the corner of Freemason and Yarmouth streets in the historic Freemason section of Norfolk.

Yarmouth House, the second home built in the Freemason district after the Civil War, and one of the earliest structures of the Italianate style in the city of Norfolk, dates from 1867.

Before the firm decided to restore it, this stately home was being used as a site for Norfolk Testing Laboratories, which tested coal samples on the site for the shipyards. Not only was Yarmouth House far from its original splendor, but it was filthy, with HVAC pipes and florescent track lighting installed in nearly every room.

Why would a practicing law firm take on the added challenge of not only renovating a new office, but restoring it to historical code via the Secretary of the Interior's rigid guidelines?
Attorney Joe Waldo joked that, if they'd known then what they knew now, the challenge never would have been undertaken. But his love for real estate and property issues reveals his true affection for the year-long project.

He, and the other members of the firm, are grateful that the former site of their office, the YMCA, was literally across the street, so that the hectic jobs of being law firm staff and general contractors were made that much easier.

Yarmouth House was acquired by Waldo in October 1999. The project was completed just in time for the open house. The firm operated as their own general contractor, and hired a specialist in each area of restoration.
The arduous restoration process was initiated with a six page, single-spaced application, detailing each room, what need to be renovated in said room, and how those specific renovations would maintain the historic integrity of the dwelling.

Each room was photographed from four angles, and a bound notebook of those charted, labeled photographs was submitted with the application to the Secretary of the Interior.

Since its construction in 1867, first owned by Mary E. and Charles W. Buttz, Yarmouth House continually served as a residential home until June, 1963, when it was acquired by Norfolk Testing Laboratories.

Although no longer a home, evidence of family life still remains, at least in one room. On one window pane in Waldo's office, a former resident scratched her initials into the glass with the diamond of her engagement ring nearly 100 years ago.

Many original details have survived, and were restored to their former condition, including the ceramic inner doorknobs for most of the doors, the wrought iron fence, the intricately carved crown molding, and the mahogany front doors, which are graced with 133-year-old brass knobs, locks, and kickplates. Unfortunately, the identities of the original architect and builder are unknown.

The house is two stories with a full-size attic, which is still being remodeled into office space, and a basement. Both the first and second floors have front-facing bay windows, and the entire building is full of natural light and open space. Pride in the project can be seen on the faces of every member of the firm, who relished giving tours and showing wretched before pictures of each room to guests.

Yarmouth House, now the offices of Waldo and Lyle, Attorneys at Law, is located at 301 W. Freemason at the corner of Freemason and Yarmouth Streets.