Memphis ยท Victorian Village
The James Lee House
An 1848 farmhouse enlarged into a Victorian mansion by 1873, later the James Lee Arts Academy, now a five-suite inn in Victorian Village.
- Built
- 1848Built 1848 as a two-story farmhouse by William Harsson; enlarged in 1853, given a tower and third floor, and unified in 1873.
- Style
- Second Empire / Late Victorian
- Type
- B&B
- Rooms
- 5
- Area
- Victorian Village
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
William Harsson built a two-story farmhouse here in 1848; his son-in-law Charles Wesley Goyer bought it in 1852 and raised a family of ten children there, adding a wing in 1853, then a tower and third floor, and unifying the facade in 1873. James Lee Jr. bought the house in 1890, and his daughter Rosa donated it to the city as the James Lee Arts Academy, later the Memphis College of Art. It stood vacant for decades after the college moved to Overton Park in 1959, before its restoration as a five-suite inn and event venue in Victorian Village.
Good to know
- Breakfast: included
- No elevator
- Address: 690 Adams Avenue, Memphis, TN 38105
Things to do
Tours nearby
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Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.