William Butler House, 516 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota

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William Butler House
Photo taken 2001
Address:	516 Summit Avenue
City/locality- State/province	Saint Paul, Minnesota
County- State/province:	Ramsey County, Minnesota
State/province:	Minnesota
Country:	United States
Year built:	1914
Primary Style:	Mission Revival"Mission Revival" is not in the list (A-Frame, American Four-Square, Art Deco/Art Moderne, Arts and Crafts/Craftsman, Beaux Arts, Bungalow/Bungaloid, Cape Cod, Carpenter Gothic, Chateauesque, Classical Revival, ...) of allowed values for the "Primary style" property.
Secondary Style:	Classical Revival
Historic Function:	Single Dwelling"Single Dwelling" is not in the list (House/single dwelling or duplex, Airport terminal, Apartments/condominiums, Auditorium/music facility, Bank/financial institution, Barn/agricultural building, Business, Capitol, City hall/town hall/, Civic, ...) of allowed values for the "Historic function" property.
Builder:	Butler Brothers
Material of Exterior Wall Covering:	Brick
Building Permit Number:	63489
First Owner:	William Butler
Notes:	Sinclair Lewis lived here in 1917-1918

Saint Paul Ramsey

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William Butler House, 516 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota
(44.941292,-93.121827)

The house was built by Butler Brothers Company, a building firm founded in 1877 by William Butler, first owner of the home, and brothers Walter and Cooley Butler. Brothers John and Emmett joined the business in 1894. Walter Butler resigned in 1927 and established his own company, Walter Butler Company.

History

The William Butler family owned this home for thirty years. However they apparently leased the house to author Sinclair Lewis, who lived there from 1917 to 1918.

"Sinclair Lewis lived at 516 from the fall of 1917 to spring 1918. He skied, skated, partied with the elite and worked on his play Hobohemia, which went on to an 11-week run in New York" (Kelly, Thomas)

"Sinclair Lewis was living here in 1917-1918, while attempting to write a novel about J.J. Hill which he never completed" (Sandeen, Ernest R.)

Notes

Ramsey County Historical Society, Inventory forms for Historic Sites Survey of St. Paul and Ramsey County, 1980-1983 Sandeen, Ernest R., St. Paul's Historic Summit Avenue (St. Paul: Living Historical Museum, Macalester College, 1978) Kelly, Thomas. "The Grand Houses of Summit Avenue." Ford Times 70:5 (May 1977).