By Dan Murphy
E.R. Butler & Co. is marking 25 years on Beacon Hill this month, since the manufacturer and seller of American hardware first opened its sole retail showroom at 38 Charles St. in late 2000.
The New York City-based company, which specializes in architectural hardware in early American, Federal and Georgian styles, was established in 1990, although its lineage can be traced back to the early 1800s, and includes E. Robinson & Co., Wm. Hall & Co., the John Tein Co., L.S. Hall & Co., and Ostrander & Eshleman, Inc., among other historic firms.
In 2000, E.R. Butler & Co. opened its Beacon Hill showroom, which was designed by the company’s owner, Rhett Butler, together with award-winning architect Gil Schafer, to resemble an Adam Federal-style home, with a ‘floor-through’ design that extends the length between Charles and River streets.
“Our Beacon Hill showroom is a wonderful, hidden, yet-known Boston gem that has been pivotal to the company, because we serve as its only retail location,” according to Nina Castellion, showroom manager, who is celebrating 24 years with the company this month.
The showroom’s opening was timed to commemorate the company’s 2000 merger with the W.C. Vaughan Co., a manufacturer of high-quality hardware since 1902.
E.R. Butler & Co. had previously served as the sole agent for the W.C. Vaughan Co., and for many years, the two firms maintained a successful partnership, often collaborating both in manufacture and in the research of the designs, materials and methods of production, and patination.
Today, E.R. Butler’s American hardware collection in brass and crystal, which merges state-of-the-art technology with classic design is the cornerstone of its collection, while the Charles Street showroom also features collaborations with other like-minded designers, including Ted Muehling (which is only carried by 12 other vendors worldwide) and Gabriella Kiss, along with international manufacturers, such as Maison J. Vervloet-Faes of Brussels; J. L. Lobmeyr of Vienna, Austria, and the Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg of Munich, Germany.
Regarding the showroom and its unique product mix, which she describes as “jewelry for your home and jewelry for yourself or loved ones,” Castellion wrote: “One of the best compliments we often get is, ‘your showroom is like a museum.’ Our reply is: ‘That it is, but it is better as you can take things home from us.’”
Meanwhile, E.R. Butler’s Charles Street showroom has become a destination for some travelers who make a point of returning to the store every time they visit Boston.
(Besides its Beacon Hill showroom, the company’s flagship location in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan is open by appointment and to the trade only.)
“Our Beacon Hill showroom honors the company’s legacy and brings the designs back home to where many originated,” Castellion wrote. “With 25 years of clientele we have people who come to visit us when they are in town. Additionally, the overlapping theme of everything we make and represent is design and craftsmanship, and thankfully, there are lots of people who understand the importance of that.”
E.R. Butler & Co.’s showroom is located at 38 Charles St. on Beacon Hill. For more information, visit erbutler.com, or call 617-722-0230 during regular business hours.