National Register of Historic Places

Butler, Charles, House

Franklin, Warren County, Ohio
Listed
April 28, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82003664

About this property

The Charles Butler House is a historic octagon house in the city of Franklin, Ohio, United States. Constructed during the middle of the nineteenth century, it was originally home to one of the city's most prominent men, and it has been named a historic site due to its unusual design. In its earliest years, the city of Franklin was heavily influenced by the Schenck family, who sponsored much of its early development. A member of a later generation of the family, John N. Schenck, arranged for the construction of the present house in 1860. At the time, Orson Squire Fowler's ideal of the octagon house was at the height of its popularity, and Schenck's use of the style demonstrates his wealth at the time. Rather than living in it, Schenck gave it to his daughter and son-in-law, Charles Butler, who occupied a leading place in Franklin's governmental and commercial circles. Built of brick, the Butler House is covered with a metal roof. The architecture includes numerous distinctive details, including the four-over-four windows placed in pairs, the wooden cornice with brackets, and the molding around the lintels. Because the house sits atop a small hill, a person inside is able to view a panorama of the city as well as the Great Miami River. In 1982, the Butler House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying because of its distinctive architecture; it is one of four National Register-listed locations in the city, along with the prehistoric Hill-Kinder Mound, the Mackinaw Historic District, and the Old Log Post Office. Significant to its designation was its rarity; it is one of two octagon houses in Franklin, but only one other such house remains anywhere else in southwestern Ohio, although the Goldsmith Coffeen House in Lebanon is built as a hexagon.

Location

13 E. Jackson St.
Franklin, Warren County, Ohio
39.56468, -84.29983

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Mackinaw Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
Old Log Post Office
Industrial
0.5 mi
Decker, Henry, Farmstead
Industrial
3.2 mi
Wright, Dr. Aaron, House
Industrial
3.3 mi
Stanton Farm
Industrial
4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Butler, Charles, House listed on the National Register?

Butler, Charles, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Butler, Charles, House?

Butler, Charles, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Butler, Charles, House?

The period of significance for Butler, Charles, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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