Morris-Butler House, Second Empire museum in Old Northside Historic District, Indianapolis, United States.
The Morris-Butler House is a Second Empire residence in Indianapolis's Old Northside Historic District that now operates as a museum. The building features tall ceilings, large windows, and multiple ground-floor rooms furnished with period pieces from the Victorian era.
The house was built in 1864 for businessman John D. Morris and changed hands over the following decades until it faced demolition for highway expansion in the 1960s. Preservation efforts at that time saved the structure and altered the route of a major road near downtown.
The house displays furniture and decorative pieces from the Victorian era, reflecting how wealthy families furnished their homes during the 1800s. Walking through the rooms, you can observe the objects and arrangements that mattered to people of that time.
The house can be used for small events like ceremonies or lectures with up to about 40 people, primarily in the furnished rooms on the ground floor. The historical spaces offer an intimate setting, but visitors should know that the building is historic and has certain limitations for use.
One of the most striking aspects of this house is its connection to highway planning in the 1960s when a major road was supposed to be built directly through this location. The current path of Interstate 65-70 near downtown exists because activists fought to preserve this building instead.
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