Dr. James Lee Dickey House

Dr. James Lee Dickey (1893-1959) established a practice in Taylor in 1921 as the city’s only Black medical doctor at the time. He was a lifelong advocate for health equity, and worked hard to improve public health standards for African-Americans in Central Texas.

After his death, Dr. Dickey’s long-time house in Taylor was left vacant and fell victim to neglect. Upon threat of demolition in 1998, the Blackshear/O. L. Price Ex-Student Association raised the funds necessary to move the house to a safe location. In 2003, the Dickey House Museum & Multipurpose Center (DMMC) organization was created to oversee restoration of the house, but a lack of funding hindered much progress. In 2008, the Dickey House was added to Preservation Texas’s Most Endangered Places list.

After years of fundraising, the DMMC officially launched the restoration project in 2018. Four years later, the project was in its final construction phase ahead of a 2023 opening when the house was burned to the ground by an arsonist on July 10th, 2022.

St. David’s Foundation has awarded a grant of $500,000 toward the reconstruction of Dr. James Lee Dickey’s former home. As the fiscal sponsor for the DMMC, Preservation Texas has assisted with the selection of an architect, Fred Robinson, and the development of plans for the project.

Grant Award From St. David’s Foundation: $500,000
Funds Needed to Raise: $500,000

This funding will make it possible to reconstruct the Dickey House in a manner that meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Reconstruction. The house will honor the legacy of Dr. James Lee Dickey by serving as a community wellness center, designed to provide Taylor residents with equitable access to medical care and social services.

The Dickey House in 2008 when it was added to the Most Endangered Places List.

The Dickey House in 2022 after years of restoration work.

The Dickey House site in July of 2023 after it was burned by an arsonist.