View source for James Lee House (690 Adams Avenue, Memphis)

{{short description|Historic house in Tennessee, United States}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Lee and Fontaine Houses of the James Lee Memorial
| nrhp_type    =
| image        = Goyer-Lee.jpg
| caption      =
| location     = 680-690 Adams Ave., [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|35|8|38|N|90|2|7|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = Tennessee#USA
| built        =
| architecture = Late Victorian, Second Empire
| added        = February 11, 1971
| area         = {{convert|5|acre}}
| refnum       = 71000835<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}
The '''James Lee House''', also known as the '''Harsson-Goyer-Lee House''', is a historic house at 690 [[Adams Avenue]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], United States. It is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], together with the adjacent Woodruff-Fontaine House. The two houses are included in the [[Victorian Village, Memphis|Victorian Village historic district]].
The 8,100-square-foot home was constructed by William Harsson in 1848.<ref name=abandoned>Sara Patterson [http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/03/abandoned-memphis-mansion-james-lee-house/ James Lee House] April 2011 Abandoned Memphis The Commercial Appeal</ref><ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/reallyboring/3060322526/in/photostream/ Photo of James Lee House (Flickr)]</ref> Harsson's daughter, Laura, married Charles Wesley Goyer, who bought the house in 1852. Goyer had it expanded by the architecture firm of [[Edward Culliatt Jones]] and [[Matthias H. Baldwin]] in 1871, after seeing their work in designing the neighboring [[Woodruff-Fontaine House]].
James Lee, a [[riverboat]] captain who had been educated at [[Princeton University]], bought the house in 1890. In 1925 it became the James Lee Memorial Art Academy,<ref name=abandoned/> a predecessor of the [[Memphis College of Art]] (formerly the Memphis Academy of Art).<ref>[http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/abandoned-memphis-james-lee-house/36889/ Abandoned Memphis James Lee House photo gallery] ''The Commercial Appeal''</ref> The city of Memphis took ownership in 1929. After the art school moved to a new location in 1959, the house was vacant for many years.<ref name=MDNJan2013>{{cite journal|url=http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=73857 |volume=128 |number=7 |date=January 10, 2013 |title=James Lee House Bed & Breakfast Granted 10-Year Tax Freeze |first=Sarah |last=Baker |journal=Memphis Daily News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529223005/http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=73857 |archive-date=May 29, 2014 }}</ref> It was used by Canadian indie rock group [[Tokyo Police Club]] in a music video for their 2008 song "In a Cave."{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}
In 2012 the empty house was purchased by new private owners.<ref name=FlyerApril2014>{{Cite web|url=http://www.memphisflyer.com/NewsBlog/archives/2014/04/18/james-lee-house-is-open-for-business|title=James Lee House is Open for Business}}</ref> The following year, a $2 million construction and renovation project began, converting the house into a luxury [[bed and breakfast]].<ref name=FlyerApril2014/> The city of Memphis provided a [[property tax]] abatement to encourage its renovation.<ref name=MDNJan2013/>  The bed and breakfast opened for business in April 2014.<ref name=FlyerApril2014/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{official website|http://jamesleehouse.com/}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, James, House (690 Adams Avenue, Memphis)}}
[[Category:Houses in Memphis, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Second Empire architecture in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Victorian architecture in Tennessee]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Memphis, Tennessee]]