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ARCHITECT
Stephen Decatur Button of Philadelphia (1803-97), designer of the Lion House and the Abraham Minis House, Savannah, 1859, later became one of the organizers of the Pennsylvania Institute of Architects, which became the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Born in Preston, Connecticut, Button served an apprenticeship in architecture in the New York office of George Purvis.
His first important work was the original state house at Montgomery, Alabama, for which he completed plans in 1847; a year after the city became state capital. In 1849 Button returned to Philadelphia to establish a partnership with his brother-in-law, J.C.Hoxie, and designed several commercial buildings in the city and some residences in Rittenhouse Square. Button also designed the city hall, several churches, and thirteen schools in Camden, New Jersey.