1886 Eclectic Victorian home in Memphis's Victorian Village run as a cocktail lounge since 2007 — advertised hours of '5pm till the spirits go to sleep' and a roped-off, reputedly haunted third floor.
679 Adams Ave., Memphis, TN 38105
Age
21+
Cost
$$
Cocktail lounge with tapas-style menu. Live piano nightly starting at 9 p.m. with no cover.
Access
Limited Access
Two-story Victorian home; the third floor is roped off.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1886 · Victorian Village Historic District · Wedding gift from Noland Fontaine to daughter Mollie · Across-the-street counterpart to the Woodruff-Fontaine House · Operating cocktail lounge since 2007
The house at 679 Adams Avenue was completed in 1886 as a wedding gift from cotton broker Noland Fontaine to his daughter Mollie Fontaine on her marriage to Dr. William Taylor. Built in an Eclectic Revival Victorian style, the home stands directly across Adams Avenue from Mollie's parents' grander Woodruff-Fontaine House and forms part of the Victorian Village historic district.
Mollie lived in the home until her death in 1939. The building passed through subsequent private owners and eventually became a restaurant before opening in 2007 as the Mollie Fontaine Lounge — a cocktail bar operated by chef-restaurateur Karen Carrier as part of her Memphis hospitality group. The lounge serves a tapas-style menu and features nightly live piano starting at 9 p.m. (no cover). Two floors are open to the public; the third floor is roped off.
The lounge openly leans into the home's haunted reputation. Advertised hours have included the line '5pm till the spirits go to sleep,' and the venue is regularly profiled in Memphis travel and Halloween-season coverage. Frommer's, Tripadvisor, and Victorian Village's official tourism site treat the property as both a historic landmark and a working bar.
Sources
The Mollie Fontaine Lounge's haunted reputation is anchored in Mollie Fontaine, who lived in the house until her death in 1939. The third floor is roped off and reputedly haunted; patrons report seeing a woman in Victorian dress gliding across the upstairs landing before vanishing into the dim light. Staff and longtime regulars attribute lights turning off unexpectedly and objects moved around the bar to Mollie's playful presence.
Memphis ghost-tour writeups occasionally conflate Mollie Fontaine with Mollie Woodruff, the daughter of Amos Woodruff (the original Woodruff-Fontaine House owner) who died of grief in the house across the street; the two figures have historically merged in some retellings. The This is Memphis 'Lady of the Rose Room' feature focuses on the Woodruff-Fontaine House next door, but tour itineraries treat both properties as a single Victorian Village haunting circuit.
The lounge embraces the lore openly: its advertised hours of '5pm till the spirits go to sleep' double as branding and as a wink toward the home's haunted reputation.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Drinks and small plates inside an 1886 Victorian home; live piano music nightly at 9 p.m. Watch for objects allegedly moved by Mollie Woodruff and the woman in Victorian dress reported on the upstairs landing.
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