The owners of a house and a commercial property have been honored with Butler’s first Preservation Awards.

City Council presented the awards Thursday night.

Joe Gray was given the award for his work restoring the old Farmers National Bank building on Main Street while Brian and Toni Fell received the award for restoring their home at 220 E. Pearl St.

Local historian Bill May came to city council with the idea of the two awards, which are to be given for commercial and residential buildings that promote the preservation of historic property in the city.

“Coming into Butler it says ‘Welcome to Historic Downtown Butler,’” May said, referencing the sign seen entering the city. “Butler needs to do more than just have a sign.”

May said a dedication to preserving and restoring historical buildings is key for the city to stay vibrant.

“We need for the vibrancy of the city of Butler to attract people to live in our neighborhoods and to shop on our Main Street,” May said. “One of the methods to do that is by promoting and maintaining our historic buildings on Main Street and our historic houses in our neighborhoods.”

May said preserving historical landmarks will be an economic boost for the city.

“We promote historic preservation not for the feeling of nostalgia,” May said. “We promote historic preservation because it leads to economic development.”

Brian and Toni Fell were presented the residential award for the renovations they did on their home, which they bought last year and transformed from an apartment complex into a single family home again.

It was built in 1870 by prominent Butler attorney Alexander Mitchell, according to May.

May said the home stayed in the Mitchell family until 1953 when it was bought by Alf and Agnes Kihn and then it was made into three apartments. May said that transformation removed a lot of the beauty of the home, particularly its large front porch.

The Fells did extensive interior work to the building and rebuilt the long-missing front porch.

The restoration has brought great pride to the family, Brian Fell said, adding that his family feels like it has its dream home in Butler.

“You really feel like you’re investing in a living historical community,” he told the council. “And there aren’t many cities like that.”

Fell said he appreciated the historic preservation efforts in the city, but would like to see more preservation in the future.

“We want to regain some of the vigor Butler once had,” Fell said. “We want to get that sense of pride back.”

Joe Gray was given the commercial building award for renovations he made to the Farmers National Bank Building, which now houses Anderson’s Common Court Restaurant, offices and apartments on the upper floor.

According to May, the building was built in 1921.

May said the Farmers National Bank failed and was taken over by the Butler County Bank in 1927.

“My grandfather used to tell the story of asking one of the trustees of the bank, Mr. Hart Graham, how the bank was doing,” May said. “Mr. Graham replied ‘Couldn’t be better.’ The next day the bank failed and closed its doors.”

The interior of the build has been redone numerous times and has featured a variety of businesses and restaurants.

Gray bought the property a couple years ago and worked extensively with his partners in the project, Jim Taylor and John Ankney, to restore it to its current state.

“It looks absolutely amazing — the job he has done on that building,” May said of Gray’s renovations. “For years and years I would walk past there and think ‘If only the person who owns that would appreciate its beauty.’”

Gray was thankful for the award, and happy to help maintain one of the city’s historical buildings on Main Street.

“We’ve done everything to somewhat modernize the infrastructure yet maintain the historic nature of the building,” Gray told the council. “It was quite a project.”

Councilman Robert Schontz Jr. said the city plans to continue the awards next year. They will be given out in July because that is the birth month of the country.