Our Story
How a House Becomes a Home
The story of 309 N. McLean — from its 1926 origins to the day Ryan and Justine Borden opened their door to the world.
The Beginning
1926
Built for May Laurenzi
In 1926, May Sambucetti Laurenzi commissioned a new home at 309 N. McLean. Designed by the Memphis firm Regan & Weller and built by contractor J. F. Schengle, the house was completed that year. On October 3, 1926, The Commercial Appeal noted it had earned a 'Red Seal' for its electrical wiring — the gold standard of the day, performed by C. W. Watson of Watson Electric Co.
The Laurenzi Years
1927–1946
A House Full of Life
May moved in with her eight children — Louis, Amelia, Eugenia, Lorena, Adrienne, Rosalita, Nina, and young Eugene. The home became the site of weddings, receptions, bridal showers, and soirees regularly noted in The Commercial Appeal. Eugenia married here in 1935. Rosalita's engagement was announced from this address in 1942. The house was alive with family.
The Brittan & Ritter Years
1950s–1960s
Midtown's Social Heart
The Brittans arrived around 1950 — Jack W. Brittan, proprietor of a shade and blind company and, by 1958, Illustrious Potentate of the Al Chymia Temple of the Shriners. The Ritters followed in 1960. In 1967, television industry veteran A. M. Kuykendall purchased the home for $33,000. Under the Kuykendalls, 309 N. McLean was featured on the 1971 Heritage House Tour and hosted the Mid-Town Garden Club.
The Holmes Years
1973–2010
Dr. & Mrs. Holmes
In 1973, Dr. Perry Don Holmes — an internal medicine physician — purchased the home for $72,500. He and his wife Sandra lived here together for nearly four decades. They had no children. Dr. Holmes passed away on September 30, 2010. Sandra followed just twelve days later, on October 12, 2010, in the home they had shared for so long.
A New Chapter
2022
Ryan & Justine Borden
On June 9, 2022, Ryan and Justine Borden purchased 309 N. McLean. They set about restoring and honoring everything the house had accumulated over nearly a century — the craftsmanship of Regan & Weller, the warmth of the Laurenzi family, the civic pride of the Kuykendalls. Today, McLean Manor is exactly what this address has always been: a place where Memphis life happens.
Come experience it yourself.
We'd love to have you.