Morris-Butler House
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Morris–Butler House
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| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Coordinates | 39°46′59.8″N 86°8′52.6″W / 39.783278°N 86.147944°WCoordinates: 39°46′59.8″N 86°8′52.6″W / 39.783278°N 86.147944°W |
| Built | 1864 |
| Architect | D.A. Bohlen |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| NRHP Reference # | 73000037 |
| Added to NRHP | February 20, 1973 |
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.
The house was built about 1864 for John D. Morris, an Indianapolis businessman, who was the son of Morris Morris, an Indianapolis settler. It is believed that the home was designed by noted Indianapolis architect Diedrich A. Bohlen. The house is located in what was then a suburb of Indianapolis, an area now known as the Old Northside Historic District. Morris lived in the house with his family until the 1870s, when the family experienced financial difficulties. In 1878 he sold the house to Noble Chase Butler, a bankruptcy lawyer and clerk of the United States District Court in Indianapolis. Butler lived in the house with his wife and seven children until his death in 1933. Butler's daughter, Florence, lived in the house until her death on January 7, 1957. By that time the neighborhood was quite different. Most of the homes were low-income rentals and many suffered from neglect. The house was briefly used as an artists' studio, gallery, and apartments between 1957 and 1964.
With funds from Eli Lilly Jr., 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. Lily 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 Foundations first historic preservation project.
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