Morris-Butler House
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| Morris-Butler House | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1864 |
| Architectural style(s): | Second Empire |
| Added to NRHP: | February 20, 1973 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 73000037 [1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
The Morris-Butler House is a Second Empire-style house built in 1864-65 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is part of Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis. It is preserved as a museum home by the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. The house contains many original features and pieces of furniture in Victorian & Post-Victorian styles.
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[edit] History
John Morris, the son of an Indianapolis settler, had the house built in 1864 in what was then a suburb of Indianapolis, an area now known as the Old Northside. He lived in the house with his family, until the financial difficulties in the 1870s. In 1878 he sold the house to Noble Butler, a bankruptcy lawyer. Noble Butler lived in the house with his wife and seven children. His daughter, Florence Butler, lived in the house until she died on January 7, 1957. The makeup of the neighborhood at that point was quite different from before, with most of the homes being occupied by low-income renters and many homes suffering from neglect.[2]
The house was used as an artists' studio, gallery, and apartments between 1957 and 1964.[2]
[edit] Conversion to a Historical Landmark
Eli Lilly bought the house in 1964 when it was in danger of being destroyed by the construction of Interstate 70. Eli Lilly lived a block away from the house when he married his first wife in the 1920s. He had known Florence Butler and was fond of the house. He provided $22,500 for the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana to purchase the house.[4]
The restoration work included repairing warped floors, cleaning and repointing the darkened brickwork, and adding a new slate roof. The house was opened to the public in 1969.[4] The Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana staffs the house with tour guides, coordinates further restoration, and hosts educational and cultural events.
[edit] Notable Styles & Features
- Wooton desk
- Jacob Cox Paintings
- Tower (used for ventilation)
- Early Version of Central Heat
- Charles Eastlake Chairs
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
- ^ a b Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana - Morris-Butler House History. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
- ^ Morris-Butler House, 1204 North Park Avenue, Indianapolis, IN - American Memory from the Library of Congress
- ^ a b Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana - Morris-Butler House Restoration. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
[edit] External links
- Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana - Morris-Butler House
- The Historic Old Northside
- Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record: Morris-Butler House
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