The Butler Mansion would be transformed into a museum, café and event center as part of a $13 million project proposed by the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa. The renovation would make much of the iconic 1930s art deco modern-style home accessible to the public as a cultural destination.

The roughly 44,000-square-foot mansion at 2633 Fleur Drive was built as the home of engineer Earl Butler. The property had been used as an office building for decades before 2020, when the center purchased it for $3.3 million. Center officials have spent years raising money for the long-term plan to transform the site into an Italian American cultural museum.