James D. and Alice Butler House
The James D. and Alice Butler House, commonly known as the Butler House, is a historic house museum in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It is located at 380 East Hillsboro Boulevard. On July 28, 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.[2]
![](../I/Deerfield_Beach_FL_Butler_House_sign03.jpg.webp)
James D. and Alice Butler House | |
Florida Historic Site
| |
![]() | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Location | Deerfield Beach, Florida |
---|---|
Coordinates | 26°19′04.97″N 80°05′52.74″W |
NRHP reference No. | 95000916 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | 28 July 1995[1] |
Designated FHS | 1974 |
Building
Built in the Mediterranean Revival style it was the home of early Deerfield Beach settlers and civic leaders, James D. and Alice Wood Butler. Alice Butler obtained the plans for the house from a popular ladies magazine, the Ladies Home Journal of September 1923. Situated on almost four city lots the home was built by Gulfstream Lumber Company of Delray at a cost of $10,000.[3] It was built on the site of home the Butler's had purchased in 1912 for $300.[4] The building is constructed of hollow tile, the interior walls are plaster on lath and the roof is made from Spanish terracotta tiles.
In 1974 the home was designated a Florida Historic Site.[5] In 1977 the Butler family deeded the home and grounds to the Deerfield Beach Historical Society which operates it as a historic house museum.[6]
James D. and Alice Butler
Married in 1906 in Texas the Butlers came to Deerfield Beach in 1910 to visit James Butler's sister and remained. They became popular and public-spirited citizens of Deerfield Beach. James Butler was a member of Broward County's first school board when the county was formed in 1915. He served on the Broward County Board of County Commissioners for eight years and the Deerfield Beach City Commission for four. Alice Butler helped found the Deerfield Beach Woman's Club and they both participated in establishing the First Baptist Church of Deerfield. James Butler died in 1965 and Alice Butler in 1976. They are both buried in the Deerfield Beach Memorial Cemetery.[7]
Modern times
The Butler House has been fully restored and contains many of the original furnishings, an exception being the dining room table that was replaced after the original had been used to protect the west dining room window during the San Felipe Segundo hurricane in 1928. The wicker furniture purchased by the Butlers in 1923 for $500 is featured, as are hats from the flapper era and the lion's paw bathtub.[5] As of 2018 the house is open to the public monthly. The property features a one–hundred year old Banyan tree where the Deerfield Beach Historical Society holds events.[8][9] The society operates the property as an event venue and maintains its headquarters there in addition to the function of the home as a museum.[8]
References
- "National Register Information System – James D. and Alice Butler House (#95000916)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 9 July 2010.
- Piland, Sherry (June 1995). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: James D. and Alice Butler House". National Park Service. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help)"Accompanying 9 photos, from 1992". National Register of Historic Places Inventory. - Justice, L.A. (25 September 1994). "The green house". City Plus. Sun-Sentinel. p. 9. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018.
- Roberts, Elizabeth (25 August 2013). "Work the bugs out - After termite treatment historic Deerfield home still needs repairs". Community News. Sun-Sentinel. p. 1. Retrieved 7 December 2018 – via NewsBank.
- Roeback, A. Tacuma (27 December 1998). "Placing a call for aid - Deerfield Beach Historical Society asks for $25,000 - staff shortage, termites, house repairs cited". Community Close Up. Sun-Sentinel. p. 1. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via NewsBank.
- Woolfe, Tao (12 July 1996). "House serves sip of history - cozy gift shop, cup of tea add to Butler home". Palm Beach. Sun-Sentinel (Palm Beach ed.). p. 3. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via NewsBank.
- Contributor #46960600, recordagrave.com (1 January 2008). "James D Butler". Find a Grave. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- Neuberger, Phyllis (29 January 2018). "Dedicated volunteers run the landmark Butler House Museum, home of the Deerfield Beach Historical Society". News. The Pelican. Pompano Beach, FL. p. 10 – via NewsBank.
- Diaz, Karen A. (30 January 2005). "Historical society toasts holidays at Butler House". Community News. Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via NewsBank.
External links
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to James D. and Alice Butler House. |
- "Florida Division of Historical Resources".
- "James D. and Alice Butler House Museum". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- "Great Floridians of Deerfield Beach". Archived from the original on 21 August 2006.