page_title: Morris–Butler House
section_title: Historic house museum
hierarchical_section_title: Morris–Butler House / History / Historic house museum
caption_attribution_description: English: Morris-Butler House — 1204 North Park Avenue, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana — south porch, from west. 1970 image from the HABS—Historic American Buildings Survey of Indiana.
context_page_description: The Morris–Butler House is a Second Empire-style house built about 1864 in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis, Indiana. Restored as a museum home by Indiana Landmarks between 1964 and 1969, the American Civil War-era residence was the non-profit organization's first preservation project. Restoration work retained some of its original architectural features, and the home was furnished in Victorian and Post-Victorian styles. Its use was changed to a venue for Indiana Landmarks programs, special events, and private rentals following a refurbishment in 2013. Regular daily tours of the property have been discontinued.
context_section_description: With funds from Eli Lilly, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana (now Indiana Landmarks) bought the house in 1963, when it was in danger of being destroyed by the construction of Interstate 70. Lilly had once lived on North Delaware Street, about a block away from the Morris–Butler House, with his first wife, Evelyn Fortune Lilly, in the 1920s. He also had known Florence Butler. Lilly provided $22,500 to purchase the house and additional funds for restoration. The home, named after the two families who once resided there, was Historic Landmarks Foundation's first historic preservation project. 
  Architect H. Roll McLaughlin, A.I.A., of James Associates and a president of Indiana Landmarks, headed the  restoration. Work included repairing warped floors, cleaning and repainting the darkened brickwork, and adding a new slate roof. The house was opened to the public as a historic home and decorative arts museum in May 1969. Its interiors were furnished and decorated in Victorian-era furnishings, along with a few reproductions. Notable furnishing included a Wooton desk, paintings by Hoosier artist Jacob Cox, and Charles Eastlake chairs. Indiana Landmarks staffed the house with tour guides, coordinated further restoration, and hosted educational and cultural events. Morris–Butler House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
caption: HABS photo[5]
exif: {}