diff --git a/solr/tasks/main.yml b/solr/tasks/main.yml
index 9d1e9821..df45e501 100644
--- a/solr/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/solr/tasks/main.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
     - name: Create a solr user
       user: name={{ solr_user }} home={{ solr_base_dir }} createhome=yes shell=/bin/bash
 
+    - name: Create the downloads directory
+      file: dest={{ solr_download_dir }} state=directory
+
     - name: Download solr
       get_url: url='{{ solr_download_url }}' dest={{ solr_download_dir }}/solr-{{ solr_version }}.tgz validate_certs=no