Roadside attraction

Jan 1, 2001 12:00 PM, FIN Staff

James Butell is passionate about farming, flying and classic cars.

So when he decided to put up a multipurpose storage building to house farm machinery, a Cessna airplane and a collection of classic and show cars, he knew it would have to be a Morton Building.

"I have had Morton buildings since 1977," he says. "The building I built then still looks new. Morton quality outshines everybody. That is why I built this one."

With a gaping 44- x 16-ft. bi-fold hangar door at the end, the 60- x 128-ft. building is an attention-getter. It sits on the Butell farmstead along the highway just outside Lawrence, KS.

"I have received a lot of positive comments on the building from people who stop as they drive by," Butell says. "I am very proud of that building. It is very attractive."

Butell has been flying since 1956, but he had to go to the airstrip in town until now. "You fly a lot more when you have the plane on the farm," he says. "Now, if I have a half hour, I can go flying."

The building is white with green accents and includes cupolas and wainscoting along the bottom of the walls. "If you dent the wainscoting, you can easily replace a section," Butell notes. "It's a good design."

Accessibility throughout the building was an important design factor. Butell specified two 24- x 14-ft. overhead doors and a 30- x 16-ft. sliding door, in addition to the electric bi-fold hangar door.

"With this building, I wanted to stretch out," Butell says. "Before, I had to move five things to get one piece of equipment out. Now it's much easier."

The interior of the concrete-floor building is well-lit, with eight skylights on the south-facing roof, 11 windows and 12 interior lights.

All of which puts a pleasing light on Butell's farm equipment and airplane (a "like-new" Cessna 150 with 2,200 hrs.), as well as a half-dozen classic and show cars.

A stickler for quality, Butell says he's glad he chose a Morton Building to house his passions.

"Before I built the building, Morton sent me a videotape," he says. "I watched it over and over. It really means a lot to see how your building is put together, from the factory to the farm. It's a great building. When you invest your money, you like to think you get your money's worth. I certainly did. I just wish I could have had it 40 years ago."