Description of Historic Place

Walter F. Butt House is a two storey, wooden, Queen Anne inspired house located at 202 Main Road, Woody Point, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Walter F. Butt House has been designated municipally by the Town of Woody Point because of its aesthetic and historic values.

The Walter F. Butt House has aesthetic value as it is a good example of outport merchant class housing in the early twentieth century. The scale and style of the house are indicators of the status of the owners and their membership in Woody Point’s business class. A vernacular interpretation of Queen Anne style, elements such as the two-storey bay windows, decorative panelling on bays, pediments with glass inserts and widow’s walk lend to the house a muted elegance.

The Walter F. Butt House has historical value as it is one of a small group of merchant houses remaining in the community of Woody Point, once a thriving commercial centre for the greater Bonne Bay region. The home was built for successful dry-goods merchant Walter F. Butt in 1920. The Butt family operated businesses in both Woody Point and Trout River throughout the twentieth century and continue to operate a fishery related business in Woody Point.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador file number 1802 Woody Point.

Character-Defining Elements

All elements of the Queen Anne inspired style, including;
-two-storey bay windows;
-window pediments with multi-paned triangular windows;
-decorative panelling detail on bay windows;
-coloured glass in second storey bay windows;
-widow’s walk;
-hip roof;
-number of storeys;
-original narrow wooden clapboard;
-original wooden corner boards;
-window style, size, trim and placement;
-size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors;
-placement and profile of chimneys;
-location of porch on centre front facade;
-dimension, location and orientation of building.