The Judge Lee house is an excellent early example of a Queen Anne residence designed by architect William Weeks.

This was the first house Weeks designed in Watsonville at the start of his California practice and, as far as is known, the first house he designed in California. The refined architectural details of gable and tower crestings, ornamental paper-mache tympanum and friezes, and slender wood turnings retain their delicate lines and sharp edges. The integrity of the applied ornament is outstanding.

Julius Lee arrived in California in 1859. In 1862 he moved to Watsonville, there, serving as district attorney for two successive terms. Later the Republican party nominated him for superior judge, but he declined, not wanting to leave Watsonville and his excellent law practice.

Excerpted from the NRHP Nomination.