206 NORTH DILLARD / USO / CRISIS RESPONSE CENTER
206 N. Dillard St. was built in 1908-1909 - one of the later additions to the 'Mansion Row' architecture of Dillard St. - by CC Thomas, who was a founder of the Thomas and Howard wholesale grocers.
Above, the view north on Dillard St. - the large columns on the second house on the right belong to 206 N. Dillard.
The large and beautiful central staircase was said to have been designed for the Thomas' daughter's eventual wedding (she was 15 when the house was constructed.) The story goes that, when the time came, she opted to elope instead. Too much pressure, perhaps - it's quite a staircase.
Mr. Thomas died in 1932 and Mrs. Thomas in 1943. The house then became a USO (United Service Organizations) facility - providing social events/respite for soliders.
USO, likely 1940s.
(From "Images of America: Durham" by Stephen Massengill)
The opening party for the USO, 1943 - gathered on the pressure-packed stairs.
(Courtesy Durham County Library)
By the 1960s, it was no longer a USO house, and had become a single family home.
CC Thomas house, 1964.
This house survived urban renewal through the activism of the neighbors, but most of what was around it was torn down. It was converted to apartments by the 1970s.
Looking east, early 1970s.
By the early 1980s, it was showing some signs of disrepair.
204 and 206 N. Dillard, looking northeast from Liberty and Dillard.
By the 1990s, this house was in really bad shape. I wish I had a copy of the picture Brent Lockwood showed me of the house when he first bought it - it looked abysmal. He purchased the house, I believe, in the mid-1990s and lived in it while he renovated it. After completing the house, he leased it to Sunshares (the early curbside recycling provider in Durham) and eventually sold the house to the Durham Crisis Response Center. The crisis response center provides services for victims of rape and domestic violence.
As such, I've heard through the grapevine that they are none too pleased that the county is funding a facility for violent youth/sexual offenders next door. But why would anyone have a problem with that? 
206 North Dillard, looking east, 2006.
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4 comments:
I was under the impression (perhaps mistaken) that the home was briefly used as an "office suites" building (you know, where you or your company rents one or two rooms, and all the renters share the conference room, the lobby, the receptionist, and the phone center). I think that the old library on W. Main (next to First Pres) also tried to live like this for a while.
In my early days of self-employment, I managed one of those facilities. It was kind of fun. Even on the day when the leaseholder stepped on the power plug to our PBX phones, killing several of our tenant/client calls. Oh glory.
One of things about being a consultant: when your very first client goes bankrupt, everything else starts looking relatively pleasant.
This house came up in a conversation with my mother over lunch today. According to her two of my uncles were service men her sisters met at the USO during the war. The men were stationed at Camp Butner.
Especially considering the loss of, essentially, the rest of the block, it's great that this house was spared. The great detailing and unusual shape of the house, and the fine renovation, make it a wonderful asset to still have around. Too bad it has to share the street with the WTVD fortress.
Didn't this house used to be Durham Business School in
the 1920's? My grandmother graduated from Durham Bussiness School and it was in a big old white house just like this right around Dillard & Liberty. Please respond. If it wasn't this house, which could it be. I have a photo of her graduation class along with her professors in the 1920's. PLEASE RESPOND.
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