Butler, Wright, House
a.k.a. Two-Hundred Five Columbia St.
205 Columbia St., Cumberland, MDTwo-hundred-five Columbia Street was the home of Wright Butler (1868-1932), one of Cumberland's leading architects at the turn of the century.
Butler's work is of major importance to the architectural heritage of his native Cumberland. A son of one of the city's foremost manufacturers of furniture, Butler studied architecture at the Maryland Institute of Baltimore for about three years before opening an office in 1891 in Cumberland. (History of Allegany County, Vol. II, p. 767.) His first major commission was the Allegany County Courthouse (1893-1894) which stands on Prospect Square in the Washington Street Historic District. The Courthouse is a massive brick and stone structure that dominates the city's skyline. Other important works of his that still stand are the Neo-classical facade of Masonic Temple (1911) on Green Street near the Courthouse and the present Liberty Bank Building (early 1900's) of the southwest corner of Baltimore and Centre Streets in the central business district. The Liberty Bank Building, erected originally for the Third National Bank, is six stories high and is one of the first "skyscraper" form structures in Cumberland that was made possible by the introduction of the elevator.
Butler's residence indicates his familiarity with current architectural styles. The unassuming appearance of his own residence contrasts markedly with his dramatic courthouse on Prospect Square. It is probably that Butler's own house represents a more accurate statement of his position in Cumberland (local architect and son of a prosperous furniture maker) than the braggadocio of his first known work, the courthouse.
Two-hundred-five Columbia Street is an example of Queen Anne style suburban domestic architecture. It was erected in the late 1890s and is one of four houses along Columbia Street that are believed to be Butler's work. Butler leased the property from his parents in 1896 and gained the full title in 1907.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.