He trained with his father and, at the age of 16, took a job with Foster & Dutton, a Waterville contracting firm with a statewide reputation.

He quickly rose through the ranks, and by the age of 17 was supervising the construction of large structures, most notably a major expansion in 1879 of the Hotel Wentworth in New Castle.

[1] In 1880, he established himself as a contractor in Concord, Massachusetts, but moved in 1881 to Manchester, New Hampshire, to open an architect's office.

The firm was known as the Butterfield-Guertin Company and lasted until 1927,[5] after which Butterfield resumed his private practice until his death in 1932.

During that period he was highly sought after as a designer of town halls, courthouses, churches, and other public and private buildings.