Dilkusha

Dilkusha (딜쿠샤) means 'happy heart' in Persian and is the name of the house where Albert W. Taylor and Mary L. Taylor lived. The Taylors began construction in 1923 and completed Dilkusha in 1924. A fire broke out in 1926, and it was rebuilt in 1930. After the Japanese expelled the Taylors in 1942, Dilkusha was briefly managed by Albert's younger brother, William W. Taylor. Later, in 1959, Liberal Party lawmaker Jo Gyeong-gyu purchased Dilkusha, but in 1963, his property was transferred to the state, making Dilkusha state-owned. It was then neglected for a long time and lost its original appearance. In 2005, Professor Kim Ik-sang of Seoil University, commissioned by Albert's son Bruce T. Taylor, found Dilkusha. In 2006, Bruce finally visited Dilkusha, where he lived as a child, after 66 years, and thus it became known to the world again. Seoul City signed a business agreement with related organizations in 2016 to restore Dilkusha to its original form. In August 2017, it was designated as a National Registered Cultural Heritage, 'Seoul Albert Taylor House (Dilkusha)'. From 2017, Seoul City conducted academic and design services to restore Dilkusha and turn it into an exhibition hall, and after amicable consultations with residents living in Dilkusha, relocation was completed in July 2018. Subsequently, restoration work to restore the building's original form began in November 2018 and was completed in December 2020. The interior living room of the restored Dilkusha was recreated to look as it did when the Taylors lived there, and the remaining spaces were turned into exhibition rooms themed around the Taylors' life in Korea and Albert W. Taylor's press activities, opening on March 1, 2021.