James Lee House (690 Adams Avenue, Memphis) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lee and Fontaine Houses of the James Lee Memorial
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 Location in Tennessee
Location in the United States
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| Location | 680-690 Adams Ave., Memphis, Tennessee |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Second Empire |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000835 |
| Added to NRHP | February 11, 1971 |
The James Lee House, also known as the Harsson-Goyer-Lee House, is a very old and important house in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It's located at 690 Adams Avenue. This house is special because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized by the government as a place worth saving because of its history.
The James Lee House is also part of a cool area called the Victorian Village historic district. This neighborhood has many beautiful old homes built in the Victorian style. Right next door to the James Lee House is another famous building, the Woodruff-Fontaine House. Both houses are great examples of how people lived and built homes a long time ago.
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A Home Through the Years
The James Lee House has a long and interesting story, changing hands and purposes many times.
Building a Grand Home
The house was first built in 1848 by a man named William Harsson. It was a large home, about 8,100 square feet! Imagine how big that is.
A few years later, in 1852, William Harsson's daughter, Laura, married Charles Wesley Goyer. Charles then bought the house. He loved the house so much that he decided to make it even bigger. In 1871, he hired a famous architecture team, Edward Culliatt Jones and Matthias H. Baldwin, to expand it. He had seen their amazing work on the nearby Woodruff-Fontaine House, so he knew they would do a great job.
From Captain's Home to Art School
In 1890, a new owner moved in: James Lee. He was a riverboat captain, which meant he steered boats on rivers. He had even gone to Princeton University for his education.
After Captain Lee, the house became something very different. In 1925, it was turned into the James Lee Memorial Art Academy. This art school later became the Memphis College of Art. The city of Memphis took over the house in 1929. The art school stayed there until 1959, when it moved to a new location.
A Vacant House and a Music Video
After the art school left, the James Lee House was empty for many years. It sat there, quiet and waiting. But it did have one moment in the spotlight! In 2008, a Canadian indie rock band called Tokyo Police Club used the house in a music video for their song "In a Cave." It must have looked like a cool, mysterious place for a video.
A New Life as a Bed and Breakfast
In 2012, the empty house finally got new owners. They were private owners, meaning they bought it themselves. The very next year, in 2013, they started a huge project. They spent about $2 million to fix up and renovate the house. Their plan was to turn it into a fancy bed and breakfast.
The city of Memphis even helped them out. They gave the owners a property tax abatement. This means the city reduced the amount of property taxes the owners had to pay for a while. It was a way to encourage them to fix up the old house.
All that hard work paid off! The James Lee House opened its doors as a luxury bed and breakfast in April 2014. Now, people can stay in this historic home and experience a piece of Memphis history.
