The Painted Lady
Among the many houses that dot the hill on Butler's South Side, one painted lady stands out from the crowd.
Tucked between houses of basic gray, white and tan, the three-story, raspberry pink dwelling is home to Bill and Cindy DeRunk.
Though visible from a distance due to its color and size, the home's little-known history is what the owners hope to draw attention to.
To verify its historical value, the DeRunks have dedicated their free time to preserving the home's integrity and compiling its history. Their goal is to have it listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research has played an integral part in the lives of the DeRunks since settling in to the house, built in the 1800s by Butler businessman William S. Boyd.
Armed with the name of their home's first owner, Bill, an avid historian, went to work trying to uncover the story behind the stately residence.
The research, however, proved challenging as Butler's historical documents provide only brief glimpses into the many projects Boyd undertook.Attempting to nail down the year the home was constructed has led to a dead end, as Bill's research has negated information gleaned from neighbors and passers-by."You can take almost anything people say with a grain of salt," he joked.The style of the house, Bill noted, is early Victorian, identified by a lack of gingerbread ornamentation seen on later Victorian homes.The DeRunks now believe the home was built earlier than 1850.Since the land was purchased in 1835 and census reports do not indicate the Boyds having any other residence, Bill said the home could have been built in the late 1830s or the 1840s.After spending some time researching in the genealogy department of the Butler Area Public Library, the DeRunks were referred to Dave Allen, a freelance historian who has spent time studying the city's South Side, formerly known as Springdale."I had spent over a year researching the Boyds and the South Side," said Allen.Together they discussed facts Allen had uncovered through local research and Bill had found through an online genealogy site.
In doing so, they have established that Boyd, who was responsible for developing the Springdale area, built the house for his family and at one time had 15 people residing there, including hired servants.He and his wife, Mary, had four sons and two daughters.Cindy also noted that it seemed house residents in his employ were well cared for.In addition to the house, the property was the site of a well that served as the main water source for all of Springdale.Newspaper clippings from the time described the water as cold, clean and salty.While Bill DeRunk, who is an informational technology professional for Family Home Health Services in Monroeville, and Allen have relied mainly on local history books and newspaper clippings to assemble the history of the house, both hope Boyd's descendant's or other knowledgeable Butler natives will emerge over time.<br><B>Pretty in pink</b>While the historical treasure hunt has satisfied Bill's long-time dream of being a historian, the home has also fulfilled Cindy's dream of finding the perfect Victorian house to fill with her antique treasures.The former Glenshaw residents were drawn to Butler in early 2005 after a five-year hunt for the perfect Victorian house."We were just going to move wherever the perfect house was," Cindy said.Looking at properties in five counties in the region, the DeRunks were told by a realtor of a large pink Victorian in the city of Butler.
The color sparked Cindy's interest, reminding her of the many colorful Victorians she had seen on a trip to Cape May, N.J.Walking into the kitchen entrance of the home upon their first visit, the couple immediately knew they had found their home.Though the accommodations had been modernized over the years, Cindy said much of the original style of the house had been preserved, minimizing the couple's workload.Floral and striped patterned wallpapers and borders that imitate heavy velvet drapes line several rooms. Over the music room, a golden tin ceiling reflects warm light.Despite many well-preserved features, the DeRunks did take up carpet on the home's first floor to reveal the wood flooring, and they remodeled the kitchen, which Cindy said had been remodeled in the 1960s or 70s.The home's slate roof also needed improvements, a project that Bill recalled as slow and expensive.Another challenge was repainting the structure, a job turned down by two professional painting contractors.During the summer of 2006, the couple spent most their free time repainting the building and neighboring carriage house.Rain was no cause for a break during the paint job, noted Cindy, as the carriage house served as a studio for painting the 44 shutters.The project took four months, 75 gallons of paint in 10 colors and some bravery.The couple has gained confidence with their painting abilities and their footing on extension ladders.
Once improvements were complete, the DeRunks stocked the home with antique furniture and artwork they had collected during travels and weekend hunts over 15 years."It's surprising how many things matched,"said Cindy.The parlor and music room both feature elaborate couches and chairs with hand-carved details.The gold-toned wood floor that runs throughout the first level is what the refinisher called long-needle pine, a wood rarely used in flooring.Enhancing its beauty is the floor's clean appearance; Bill said he has found only one knot.Rich woods are the main attraction in the kitchen, where a custom cabinetmaker was hired to conceal the fridge to resemble an ice box.Adding to the historical look of the kitchen is an apron sink and reproduction tin ceilings. Lighting in the room is a reproduction of fixtures from a transitional period, when houses were equipped with both gas and less reliable electric energy.Though the reproductions use all electric power, the fixtures consist of upper sconces, which would have been used for gas lamps, and downward-facing sconces that would accommodate electric current.On the second and third floors of the home are six bedrooms, and a possible seventh now occupied by a third-floor furnace.Other features include a large, round, second-story window overlooking the city of Butler and third-story rooms that conform to the peaks and slants of the rooftop.The house also came equipped with features the DeRunk's were previously unfamiliar with, such as a silent closet: a door in the dining room that leads to a large shelf, which can also be accessed by a small sliding window in the pantry.After some research, Cindy found that the feature allowed hired servants to place prepared dishes out for service without interacting with the homeowners.
Recognizing both the historic value of the structure and their home's first owner, the DeRunks now believe the home is worthy of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.To apply for the privilege, the DeRunks must first be approved by Pennsylvania's Bureau for Historic Preservation.Having researched the process only recently, Bill estimates he will spend the next year working in his free time to complete and submit the 10-page application to the state.The lengthy application must provide detail about the structure, a list of modifications and reasons for the location's significance.Once approved, the state's organization nominates the site to the National Register.If approved, the Boyd house would be the city's sixth site on the register. Others include the Butler Armory on Washington Street, Elm Court at Polk and Elm streets, Butler County National Bank on Main Street, the Butler County Courthouse and the Lowrie/Shaw House museum. The register also lists the Butler Historic District, which encompasses most of the current downtown area.Though the process may take months of the DeRunks' free time, Cindy noted the listing will bring them no extra value.In fact, if listed, the DeRunks must purchase their own marker for the home to indicate its listing.For the homeowners, however, the value of the listing will be in ensuring it is remembered for Boyd's accomplishments.Allen also hopes the Boyd home will one day be recognized for its value."Its probably one of the finest preserved houses I've ever seen,"he said.In the meantime, the DeRunks take delight in welcoming friends and family for visits.They also recently hosted a meeting of the Shaler Garden Club and served as a stop on the most recent Butler Symphony House Tour."They all were very thankful to come through and they said as much," said Bill of the visitors."It's kind of gratifying in that sense."
