Frances DeLee Taylor Community Life Center Dedicated - September 27, 2007 Capitol Hill Building Named in Honor of istinguished Claflin Alumnus
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The Taylor's son and daughter-in-law dedicated a song in memory of Frances DeLee Taylor.   One of Claflin’s most distinguished alumni and member of the University’ Board of Trustees, the late Mrs. Frances DeLee Taylor ’54, was posthumously honored on Sunday, September 16th for her work in community housing in Washington, DC.   The Frances Juanita DeLee Taylor Community Life Center, built as part of a special neighborhood project, was name in her honor as a tribute to years of devoted work in restoring a rundown and crime-ridden neighborhood in the nation’s capital.   The Ellen Wilson Dwellings, under the leadership of Mrs. Taylor and a small group of Capitol Hill residents, was successfully transformed into a mixed income housing development known as the Townhomes on Capitol Hill.   The housing development project described as “an amazing story” started in the late 1980’s when Mrs. Taylor and the group began exploring ways of redeveloping the community taken over by squatters and rampant crime. After studying a housing development project in Boston where dwellings in a dilapidated community had been torn down and replaced with affordable housing with wide streets and trees, the group decided to try to do the same with the Ellen Wilson Dwellings area.   Mrs. Taylor and the group formed a non-profit organization, the Community Development Corporation (CDC), with the goal of “providing decent, affordable housing for individuals and families with a far wider range of incomes than typical public housing.”   Despite a series of setbacks and many bureaucratic obstacles, seven years ago the CDC’s goal was realized with 134 households living in the housing cooperative. Jeff Davis in an article published this month in HillRag: Capital Community News, online, entitled “The Francis DeLee Taylor Center for Community Life: Honoring a Life, Celebrating an Exceptional Community,” wrote, “It is difficult to describe in such a brief article the tremendous transformation that has taken place in this community.”   The article continued, “The namesake of the community center, Fran Taylor, led a remarkable life and was the key to pulling together all the various community interests involved in the development. A separate article could be written about her and her legacy.” According to Thomas Dail, a member of the Coop Board, that now oversees the Townhomes on Capitol Hill, “People of all economic backgrounds socialize with each other and help each other out. The community is functioning very well.”   The dedication ceremony, in the renovated neighborhood, took place on a bright and beautiful Indian summer afternoon whose light showed off the architectural beauty and harmony of structure of the homes, many with well tended gardens. Wide quiet tree-lined streets added to the feeling of sociability and community.   Attributes attesting to the character and traits of Mrs. Taylor, as a friend and relative, came from many of those attending the historic and celebratory occasion. Representing Claflin University, Vivian Glover, Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing, paid tribute to Mrs. Taylor’s dedication and devotion to her alma mater. “Mrs. Taylor, throughout her life was a leal and loyal daughter of Claflin University. She upheld to the highest standards the University’s calling of service and leadership. We are enormously proud of her many civic contributions. She set the bar for every student who enters our gates. Her character and deeds will continue to inspire. Frances DeLee Taylor is a part of Claflin’s legacy.”   After the ceremony guests were invited to tour the new Community Life Center, which has been described as a “true center for community life” with programs for youth and adults. The bronze plaque bearing Mrs. Taylor’s name, image and contributions towards the Townhomes on Capitol Hill was also on view and will be mounted in the entrance hall of the Frances Juanita DeLee Taylor Community Life Center.
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