The Butler House on Grand Avenue went on the market this week.
Why it matters: It isn’t just a stately Tudor; it’s woven into Des Moines’ architectural legacy — including its connection to the Butler Mansion on Fleur Drive, which recently became home to the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa.
Flashback: The house was built in the early 1920s by Robert and Edith Butler. Robert was an attorney for Cyrus McCormick, the inventor of the mechanical reaper.
- It was designed by prominent local architect Norman Vorse, who also designed Hoyt Sherman Place’s theater and the Court Avenue Bridge.
The intrigue: Robert’s brother, Earl Butler, was an engineer and constructed the Butler Mansion…