Springfield Preservation and Revitalization (SPAR) has hired JAA to oversee the rehabilitation of the Horace Drew mansion, the boarded-up 1909 house on Third Street in Springfield across from Klutho Park, Jacksonville Today reported on September 24, 2026. The nonprofit acquired the long-vacant home in late 2025 and plans to turn it into a public community space with low-cost offices for small businesses. Fundraising for a $1.5 million construction campaign is ongoing, per the same report.
This page lays out what each source reported and when, where the reports differ, and what the project means for people who own, list or are shopping homes in and around the Springfield Historic District.
What SPAR announced
Per Jacksonville Today's September 24 report by Dan Scanlan, SPAR selected JAA after reviewing proposals. SPAR executive director Michael Haskins said in a news release that JAA's proposal offered a comprehensive plan and the most responsible use of donor funds, and pointed to the firm's recent preservation work in the Springfield Historic District. JAA President John Allmand called it an honor to join the project.
SPAR plans to convert the house into what it calls a "community living room," a publicly accessible space with a small-business incubator offering low-cost office space to businesses that receive support from Springfield's business association, per the same report. The work will be funded in part through the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and the state Division of Historical Resources, and SPAR is pursuing national, state and city grants plus donors to cover grant match requirements. No construction start date or completion date has been published.
The house and how it got here
The three-story corner house was built in 1909 for Dr. Horace Drew, per both Jacksonville Today and News4Jax. News4Jax reported on December 8, 2025 that it sits at the corner of Third and Pearl streets and that it was considered unique in its day for blending architectural styles. Jacksonville Today reported that the Jacksonville History Center listed it in 2012 as one of the city's most endangered historic structures, and that repair work under a prior owner began in 2018 and stopped a few years later.
News4Jax reported in December 2025 that the previous owners, who live overseas, had accumulated more than $2 million in code enforcement fines without bringing the structure up to code. Al Ferraro, the Public Works manager who oversees the city's blight initiative, told News4Jax the city had considered tearing it down, but that historic landmark status meant a different set of criteria applied. The city recommended that the owners speak with SPAR, and the owners deeded the property to the nonprofit. SPAR's first steps, per Haskins in that report, were securing the building and protecting it from the weather.
Where the reports differ
Three details do not line up across the sources. First, the occupancy history: Jacksonville Today (September 24, 2026) reported that the Drew family lived in the house into the 1930s, that it remained a private residence through the 1970s and was then occupied again until 2006, while News4Jax (December 8, 2025) reported that it was abandoned from the late 1960s through the early 1970s until another family bought it and lived there until 2006. Second, Dr. Drew's profession: Jacksonville Today's September 2026 report calls him a physician, while the December 2025 News4Jax report calls him a physicist. Third, the firm's name: Jacksonville Today's article text says JAA Architecture, while its photo caption and credit say JAA Architects. We carry each version and will update this page if SPAR clarifies.
What the rehab means for Springfield owners and buyers
The project converts a vacant house into public and office space, so it adds no homes for sale or rent. We do not forecast what it will do to nearby home values, and no source cited here makes that claim. What the Drew case does show is how historic designation and code enforcement shaped the outcome for one property: per News4Jax, landmark status is the reason the city did not simply demolish it.
For a buyer looking at an older or long-vacant house in Springfield, two practical steps follow from this story. Check the city's code enforcement records for open cases and fines before making an offer; our guide to searching Jacksonville code violations for free walks through the public lookup. And ask the City of Jacksonville's historic preservation staff which reviews apply to exterior work before budgeting a renovation, rather than relying on what a prior owner was allowed to do.
For current conditions, our Springfield homes for sale page tracks active listings and pricing, and the Springfield home value page offers a property estimate prepared by an agent rather than generated automatically. For the wider ZIP code picture, see Jacksonville home prices by ZIP code.
People also ask
What will the Drew Mansion in Springfield become?
Springfield Preservation and Revitalization (SPAR), the nonprofit that owns it, plans a publicly accessible community space it calls a "community living room," plus a small-business incubator with low-cost office space for businesses supported by Springfield's business association, per Jacksonville Today (September 24, 2026). News4Jax reported on December 8, 2025 that the first floor is planned as public space with Springfield archives and a possible coffee vendor, and the second and third floors as below-market office space.
How much will the Drew Mansion rehab cost?
Jacksonville Today (September 24, 2026) reported that fundraising for a $1.5 million construction campaign is ongoing, with the work funded in part through the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and the state Division of Historical Resources. SPAR is also seeking national, state and city grants and donors to meet grant match requirements. News4Jax (December 8, 2025) reported that the $1.5 million cost could increase. No construction start or completion date has been published.
Why was the Drew Mansion not demolished?
News4Jax reported on December 8, 2025 that the city's blight program had considered demolition while the prior owners, who had more than $2 million in code enforcement fines, left the building out of code. Public Works manager Al Ferraro told News4Jax that its historic landmark status meant a different set of criteria applied. The city recommended the owners talk with SPAR, and the owners deeded the property to the nonprofit in late 2025.
The takeaway
The 1909 Horace Drew mansion on Third Street in Springfield now has an architect overseeing its rehabilitation, per Jacksonville Today's September 24, 2026 report, with SPAR still raising money for a $1.5 million construction campaign and no published timeline. The sources differ on the house's occupancy history, on Dr. Drew's profession and on the firm's exact name, and we will update this page as SPAR releases details.
Sources
- Jacksonville Today, "Architect to oversee rehab of Springfield's Horace Drew mansion", by Dan Scanlan, published September 24, 2026 at 12:14 p.m. (updated September 25, 2026): jaxtoday.org
- News4Jax, "Springfield's historic Drew Mansion has a new owner. Here are the short and long-term plans for the property", by Erik Avanier, published December 8, 2025: news4jax.com
- Jacksonville Today, "New owner plans to rehab historic Drew Mansion", republished from News4Jax, published December 8, 2025: jaxtoday.org
How this article was prepared: every figure, date and name above is taken from the named reports and is attributed to the source that published it. All three reports were read in full. SPAR's news release and fundraising page were not read directly and are cited only as Jacksonville Today reported them. Where the sources disagree, both versions are shown. Nothing here is a forecast, legal advice or a recommendation, and Momentum Realty has no role in the Drew mansion project. Figures are deemed reliable but not guaranteed; verify with SPAR and the City of Jacksonville before relying on them.