By Aaron Mayer, Director of Sherbert Consulting and Moxie Investment Funds, amayer@sherbertconsulting.com
DreamKey Partners has announced the June grand opening of its Dillard School Senior Apartments, a transformative project in Yanceyville, NC. The Sherbert Group is thrilled to have played a key role in bringing this vision to life.
The Dillard School Senior Apartments is the culmination of the adaptive reuse of the historic Caswell County Training School, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally built in 1949-1951, with an expansion in 1960, the school replaced the overcrowded Yanceyville School and became the first African American school in Caswell County to offer eleven grades. Under the leadership of principal Nicholas Longworth Dillard, and with strong community support, the school thrived. Following desegregation in 1969, it was renamed in Dillard’s honor and served students until its closure in 2002.
“DreamKey is proud to work with our partners, Tonya Haddock of Cadence Development, LLC, and Stephen Brock of Brock Ventures, Inc., to bring this property to life. Principal Dillard worked diligently to create the Casewell County Training School, and now his vision and perseverance live on in Dillard School Apartments.” – Fred Dodson, COO/EVP of DreamKey Partners
Haddock and Brock were integral to putting together this complex deal and getting it to the closing table. The Sherbert Group also played a pivotal role in structuring the financing for the rehabilitation, which utilized a blend of tax-exempt bonds, federal and North Carolina historic tax credits, federal low-income housing tax credits, and funds from HUD 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly. Construction began in 2023 and concluded in 2025, revitalizing the site while honoring its legacy.
The Dillard School Senior Apartments will once again serve as a cornerstone of the Yanceyville community, blending history with a bright future for Caswell County seniors.