The compact neighborhood near the Elizabeth River that includes West Freemason, Bute, Duke, Botetourt, Dunmore, and Yarmouth streets was one of the first neighborhoods outside the colonial limits of Norfolk. From the 18th century through the early 20th century, the West Freemason Street Area Historic District was the city’s most prestigious residential address and thus contains noteworthy examples of many styles popular during those 120 years. Key landmarks are the individually listed Allmand-Archer House, the Federal-period Taylor-Whittle House, the Greek Revival Kenmure, and the Georgian Revival Roper House. Although the district has suffered some losses, it was spared the leveling that destroyed several downtown Norfolk neighborhoods in the 1960s. The quiet dignity of old Norfolk is still keenly felt on the tree-shaded, stone-paved western end of the West Freemason Street Area Historic District.

The West Freemason Street Area Historic District in Norfolk was originally listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1971 and in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.  An updated nomination was approved by the National Register in 2024.  This additional documentation provides current information about the district’s physical condition and the contributing status of individual resources. A more precise period of significance of ca. 1790-1972 was also established, beginning with the earliest extant building and ending with the year that local activism associated with the larger historic preservation movement was initiated.  This ultimately resulted in the designation of the city of Norfolk’s first historic district and the long-term stewardship of the West Freemason Street Area Historic District. This additional documentation adds Social History: Civil Rights as an area of statewide significance for the district’s association with the local Civil Rights Movement and efforts to desegregate the Central YMCA.  The district remains significant at the statewide level for Architecture, Community Planning and Development (previously Urban Planning), Military, and Social History (previously Social).
[NRHP Approved: 4/4/2024]