Residents rallying to preserve Norfolk's Talbot Hall

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the role of a historic and cultural district zoning designation. The designation establishes additional restrictions on renovations made to the exterior of the site. It requires that any modifications to its exterior receive a certificate of appropriateness approved by the city’s planning division.

NORFOLK

When Jay Taylor was a kid, Talbot Hall was his backyard - rather, his family lived in Talbot Hall's backyard.

The tennis court his father, uncle and grandfather built on the corner lot, with the permission of Minton Talbot, is gone now. The sand spit he used to jump off at the mouth of Crab Creek also is gone.

Taylor worries that soon enough, the grand house at Talbot Hall will be gone, too.

Neighbors and supporters of historic Talbot Hall are uniting to thwart the possible sale of the 200-year-old property on the bank of the Lafayette River.

The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia owns the estate at 600 Talbot Hall Road. It includes four buildings and the plantation.

The diocese formed a committee last June charged with studying its ownership of Talbot Hall, including maintenance needs, operating cost, neighborhood concerns and the financial effect of keeping or selling the property, said Sarah Scott Thomas, director of communication for the diocese. Thomas said the committee is still researching preliminary figures for upkeep costs, but that finances are only part of the equation.

"We're looking at the needs of the diocese, of the whole diocese," she said.

The committee will host town meetings on June 30 and July 15 to hear neighborhood concerns and sift through ideas for Talbot Hall's future use. The meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Church of the Ascension, which is in the same neighborhood as Talbot Hall.

Neighbors said they were hearing rumors of its possible sale, so they approached the committee to ask how they could help. They say the worst possible ending would be for the diocese to sell Talbot Hall to a developer who would bulldoze the estate.

"Those of us working on this are absolutely understanding of the problem the diocese has financially and want the diocese to be able to benefit from the financial value of Talbot Hall to help itself out," Taylor said. "But we're very, very concerned that they're not looking at any other options, they're not thinking outside the box, and looking at these other ways of doing that, while also preserving the historical and environmental values of the property. And that's what we've got to try to help them do."

Supporters plan to meet at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Talbot Hall to plant marsh grass by the river as a shoreline protection and habitat improvement for marine animals.

The estate is not protected by any landmark register or historic recognition. Ideas to keep it financially viable include charging more to host events, opening the house for history tours and getting the site designated on the National Register of Historic Places.

But the best option, according to many involved in the effort, would be for the city to recognize Talbot Hall as a historic and cultural district.

The diocese could still own it and the community could still enjoy it, just like Taylor did back in the day.

The house Taylor lives in now, down the street from Talbot Hall, was built by his grandparents in 1929. Along with another house at the end of the cul-de-sac, it was the first house developed on the Talbot property.

The neighborhood is different now. Most of the two lanes of linden trees that Thomas Henry Talbot planted, stretching from the house to the river, are gone. One row pointed to the southernmost position of the setting sun on Dec. 22, and the other to the northernmost position of the setting sun on June 21. The trees aligned to perfectly frame every single sunset of the year.

But a set of candlesticks and an old book still sit atop shelves in Taylor's home. They were gifts from his Aunt Betsy's friend Caroline Talbot, the last living Talbot and the one who gave Talbot Hall to the diocese in 1954.

The memories are still there. Taylor's mother used to work as a secretary at the diocesan headquarters at Talbot Hall, and his father was an Episcopal priest with the diocese. He still has a moth boat, like the ones he and his cousin, who lived next door, used to capsize in the Lafayette River.

"Lord, I've capsized in front of Talbot Hall a hundred times," he said.

He said the destruction of Talbot Hall would be "a terrific loss," and he wants to make sure the diocese explores other options besides selling the property.

Jim O'Brien, another neighbor, said he would be sad if Talbot Hall was sold, thinking about all the years of history it represents. He moved into the house across from Talbot Hall in 1975. O'Brien said most people on every side of this issue have two things in common. "They want the diocese out of the red," he said. "And they want this place optimized."

His son created a fan page on Facebook and in the past two weeks, almost 300 people have flocked to the site, offering support and memories.

"It's just touched so many people's hearts over the years that everybody feels a little piece of them is a part of Talbot Hall," O'Brien said, standing on Talbot Hall's front lawn.

When it comes to saving the historic site, "this is just the beginning," Taylor said. "And what we want is to make sure that it's not the end."

Shayna Meliker, (757) 446-2326, shayna.meliker@pilotonline.com