On July 10 of last year, the historic home of Dr. James Lee Dickey was destroyed when it was burned to the ground. Although the home was destroyed, it did not stop the efforts of the Dickey Museum and Multipurpose Center board from moving forward.
A grant $500,000 from the St. David’s Foundation will be presented to the board Monday, July 10 at a press conference at 10 a.m. on the site of the future museum. The grant will jump-start a campaign to build a replica of the Dickey House.
“The Dickey House will serve as a community resource wellness center,” said Jennifer Harris, board president of the Dickey Museum & Multipurpose Center. “The Dickey House will impact community wellbeing by connecting underserved and underrepresented residents to needed referrals and follow-ups for medical care and social services that improve health outcomes.”
The Dickey House honors the legacy of Dr. James Lee Dickey, who, in 1921, began his practice as the only Black physician in Williamson County. Dr. Dickey practiced medicine in a place and time when freedom was granted, but equality was denied. Dickey House is in the heart of Taylor’s Health Equity Zone – census tracts identified as having higher-than-average health risks and socioeconomic burdens. Through collaborations with the Williamson County and Cities Health District and other nonprofits, Dickey House will provide community members with equitable access to trusted systems of care.
“Our plan is to complete the reconstruction of the Dickey House in time for a community celebration coinciding with Juneteenth of 2024,” said Harris.
Preservation Texas, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to supporting historic preservation activities statewide, was invited by the St. David’s Foundation to serve as the fiscal sponsor for the grant award. PT brings decades of experience facilitating grant programs to the project and is actively working to secure new sources of funding whilst overseeing design and construction of the new building.
Dickey House tragedy
Last year, in the early morning hours of July 10, the future site of the Dickey Museum and Multipurpose Center in the 500 block of Burkett Street caught fire and the building was destroyed.
The museum broke ground in January 2016 and has been in ongoing phases of renovation. The museum was to be housed inside Dickey’s original home. According to Harris, the home was in the final stages of renovation and was targeted to open in July 2023.
Two days later, James Paul Gogolewski, 47, of Taylor, was arrested and charged with arson, a second- degree felony. On Sept. 29, a grand jury returned a “no bill” for Gogolewski according to court records.
Following the decision not to pursue a criminal case, Gogolewski was released from the Williamson County Jail, where he’d been held since his arrest.
