Going, Going, Gone! The Emmett Butler House in Saint Paul.

The architecture of this house is a rare blend of art-moderne design, technological innovation, and ornamental detail. This “all metal house” is an historically-intact showcase of the design fashions and advanced products of its time. Emmett Butler, a member of the prominent family of builders who built the state capitol, was the first owner.
While there are dozens of art deco/moderne style houses of this size in the Upper Midwest, only a handful are clad in metal panels and built with an all-steel structure, floorplates, and even stairs.
The 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago celebrated a streamlined future where automation and technology promised easier and more elegant lives for Americans. Several small companies emerged to promote pre-fabricated and designed metal houses and commercial buildings.
With the help of St. Paul architects Raphael Heime, Eugene Land, and Walter J. MacLeith, Steel Products Construction built the house as a model for the future complete with the latest products in windows, ventilation, kitchen and bathroom design.
The Emmett Butler House is located in the Cables Stonebridge subdivision of the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of Saint Paul, just steps from the Mississippi River.

The house will be open for FREE self-guided tours on Sunday, March 29, 2026 from Noon – 2pm. Registration is required!

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