The neighborhood resource center at 1208 E 10th St. -- affectionately known as the little blue house -- is a renovated historic structure stewarded by buildingcommunityWORKSHOP ([bc]) in the Tenth Street Historic District, one of the nation’s oldest intact Freedmen’s Towns. The home opened to the public on June 15, 2024 and is now being used by residents in the neighborhood as a place of organizing, planning and arts events.
buildingcommunityWORKSHOP is a Texas-based nonprofit community design center seeking to improve the livability and viability of communities through the practice of thoughtful design and making. We enrich the lives of citizens by bringing design thinking to areas of our cities where resources are most scarce. To do so, [bc] recognizes that it must first understand the social, economic, and environmental issues facing a community before beginning work.
$50 Helps us stock the Little Blue House with essential items
$500 Provides all art supplies for a full season of workshops
$1,000 Covers the cost of operating the Little Blue House for a full month
$2,500 Funds a year’s worth of supplies & workshop materials
$5,000 Covers the cost of our 12-month film series and film discussions
$10,000 Sponsors neighborhood organizing/planning activities for the year
$15,000 Pays for one full year of artist workshops
At [bc], we work in and with communities that bear the legacies of racist practices, policies, and cultural norms. As leaders in public interest design, we believe that there is a better way forward, one where every human has the chance to live to their full potential.
Fundamental to our work is using design to strengthen neighborhoods through access to adequate housing, decent employment, a good education, and quality healthcare. We work to see the reversal of racist policies and practices like redlining and environmental racism so that all people, no matter their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or zip code have equal access to a good standard of living.
We strive to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion both internally in our offices and externally in the communities we work with. To us, diversity means seeking out different voices and leveraging/celebrating the power that comes from that difference. Equity means providing the support — through internal policies and through our work — needed for everyone to be successful. And inclusion means valuing and respecting all people. We continue to work to achieve this through our hiring practices, our office culture, and by working with residents to achieve their hopes and dreams for their neighborhoods.
View our current participation opportunities.
In-Person Event
The Little Blue House: Lou Nell Sims | A Retrospective & Fundraiser
The Little Blue House
September 12, 2025 - September 13, 2025
Organization name
The Little Blue House - a bcWORKSHOP initiative
Causes
Community Improvement
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx
Address
1414 Belleview St. Suite 150