SP-4 
W. B. BARNETT RESIDENCE (Solomon Lodge) 
25 EAST FIRST STREET 
DATE: 1901 
ARCHITECT: Leon Beaver - Knoxville, Tenn. 
BUILDER: Unknown

After the 1901 fire destroyed his downtown residence, William B. Barnett, the founder of Florida's Barnett Bank chain, had this elegant mansion constructed in Springfield.  It is the most imposing example of the Colonial Revival style remaining in the neighborhood.  The building was designed by Knoxville architect Leon Beaver, designer of the Barnett Bank Building standing at that time.  The formal facade of the house is dominated by a two-tier veranda, which features grouped Ionic columns.  The second-story columns and capitals are very slightly smaller than their first-story counterparts, a visual trick that enhances the lofty perspective of the facade.  A portion of the widow's walk, which originally surmounted the flat ridge of the roof, can still be seen on the west side.  With the exception of the enclosing of part of the side veranda, the building remains relatively unchanged and is a splendid survivor of the post-Fire residential building boom.  The Barnett family sold the house in 1941 to Solomon Lodge, the city's oldest Masonic organization, which was founded in 1848 and now uses the Barnett residence as a meeting hall.