by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
This year’s Jacksonville Symphony Guild Showhouse is a first on two fronts: it’s in Springfield and there is more than one house. In fact, there are four.
The Jacksonville Symphony Guild hosted a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the 2006 Bank of America Symphony Showhouse last week. SRG Homes and Neighborhoods in Historic Springfield presented the event which lasts until Oct. 22. SRG Homes is the largest developer of single-family homes in Springfield and has been a catalyst for the revitalization of one of Jacksonville’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods.
That revitalization is not lost on Mayor John Peyton, who cut the ribbon to the house at 1412 Silver St. Peyton said he was thrilled to see private capital investment in the area.
“This is a big day in Springfield,” said Peyton. “You’re showing the area to people that otherwise wouldn’t have come here.”
Peyton said it wasn’t the work of government leaders that brought the project to fruition, but the “advocacy of citizens who have been relentless.” Citizens, he said, who stayed on his doorstep and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Peyton quipped that three of his staff members live in the Springfield area and questioned if they had been planted in his office by members of the Springfield Preservation and Restoration Council.
SRG built the four homes in Springfield for the project, each using area suppliers with “cutting-edge construction technologies” in the “area’s hottest Downtown neighborhood,” according to SRG CEO Mack Bissette.
“Each home showcases a different design theme, offering endless possibilities for the Showhouse designers,” he said.
The homes are near the corner of Fourth and Silver streets. SRG’s designs are named for the Jacksonville architects who helped shape the area. They are the Powell, Dozier, New Saxelbye and Ellis.
SRG homes for the 2006 Bank of America Symphony Showhouse are priced starting in the $600,000s.
The post-ceremony Patron Party was held in the Karpeles Manuscript Museum. The collection of musical manuscripts currently displayed at the Karpeles Museum were brought in especially for the Showhouse event.
Tickets to tour the homes are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and $10 for students. Proceeds go to the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.
Symphony Showhouse Tour hours
Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat. 10 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
Thurs. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sun. Noon-5 p.m.
Location: West Fourth & Silver streets in Springfield
Contact: 358-1479