Dillard School Senior Apartments

Dillard School Senior Apartments in Yanceyville, North Carolina won the 2026 Recognition of Housing Tax Credit Excellence in the Rural Housing category.

Dillard School Apartments is the adaptive reuse of the historic Caswell County Training School campus, later known as Dillard Junior High, into 53 affordable apartments for seniors aged 62 and older in rural Yanceyville (Caswell County), North Carolina. Originally built between 1949 and 1951 with a gymnasium addition in 1960, the school was the first African American school in Caswell County to offer eleven grades. After desegregation in 1969, it was renamed in honor of longtime principal Nicholas Longworth Dillard and served students until closing in 2002. After years of vacancy and sustained community-led preservation efforts, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has now been restored and repurposed to serve the community.

The development converted former classrooms into seven studio and 46 one-bedroom apartments, all restricted at or below 50 percent of area median income. Residents benefit from elevator-served accessibility, a community center with business/computer room and fitness space, community laundry, tenant storage, community gardens, outdoor recreation (pickleball and shuffleboard courts), and on-site management with supportive service coordination.

The development represents the efforts of DreamKey Partners, Inc., Red Stone Equity Partners, RedClay Design (architect), and Rehab Builders (general contractor) to preserve, improve, and increase affordable housing opportunities in Yanceyville, North Carolina.