158 North 2nd Avenue

N.R. Lee came to Sturgeon Bay in 1858 and worked in the "Lower Mill". He served in 32nd Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War and, in 1867/68, had Delano Kimber construct this house for Lee and his wife. At that time, Lee ran a hotel. When Mrs. Lee died in 1872, the house was sold. This is the earliest extant building located within the District and, like many others, has been added on to many times. It has now been adapted for commercial use and a recent addition links the original house with a stable or coach house which was built about 1880. There is evidence of some Greek Revival style influence in the window lintels and in the broad fascia beneath the eave overhang. The wing to the south was originally one story high. A second story was added and the porch substantially modified in the then popular Classical Revival style in about 1905. The recent addition is in sympathy with the early architectural character of the original house. This house is an excellent example of the type of smaller, residential building of wood that was once common throughout the District before commercial development intensified.1