Solon, Francis and Abbie, House
Also known as: Harwood--Solon House
Why it's listed
Built in 1867 by William Barrett, this brick house at 503 South State Street in Champaign is a Tuscan Villa Italianate dwelling. It rises two and a half stories under a low hip roof topped with a bracketed cupola, and it features round-arched windows, a bracketed frieze with lozenge-shaped sash, and an L-shaped wood porch with molded columns. A lower service wing extends from the northwest corner. Inside, a central stair hall opens onto a parlor, library, back parlor and dining room, with false-grained woodwork and ornate plaster ceilings. The house sits on a rise near a new public library, the historic Lincoln School and Edison Middle School. Francis and Abbie Solon moved here in 1907. Francis managed farm interests in Illinois and Arkansas, served in a drainage district and in Democratic politics, and the couple raised five children who attended the University of Illinois. Three of those children, including two lawyers, lived in the house for the rest of their lives.
Significance in brief: The house is a well-preserved example of the Tuscan Villa Italianate style, with an ornate cupola, bracketed cornice and decorated plaster interiors. It is also tied to the Solon family, who lived there from 1907 and were prominent in Champaign County farming, land affairs, politics, church and legal circles. The exact criteria and period are not visible in the provided excerpt.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07000644, listed July 3, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 503 South State St., Champaign |
|---|---|
| County | Champaign County |
| Listed | July 3, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000644 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William Barrett (developer/builder, 1867) |
| Architectural style | Italianate (Tuscan Villa) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still a single dwelling; three chimneys were removed or collapsed in 2006 because of structural instability. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.11152, -88.24687 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07000644.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20710985
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.