Constructed as a rather plain rectangular building by an African American physician, Dr. William Granger, the house was purchased in 1906 by Newsome, a prominent African American lawyer, civil rights advocate, and newspaper editor. Newsome and his wife reoriented the entrance from Oak Street to 28th Street, and added the porch, turret, and Palladian window, making the house more Queen Anne in appearance. Another addition, consisting of the dining room–kitchen wing, came in 1926. In 1990 the house was restored on the exterior and converted into a museum on the interior.