Located in the heart of Tallahassee, the Tookes House was the home of James & Dorothy Tookes. Mrs. Tookes was a staunch advocate for education as a vehicle to higher achievement in life. She was Leon County’s first certified teacher and was the founder and first principal of Bond Elementary School.

Additionally, in the late 1940s, during the segregation era in the south, she started the Tookes Hotel in her home to accommodate African-American travelers who were unable to secure lodging at other hotels in town. Many famous African-Americans stayed here – Lou Rawls, James Baldwin, Ray Charles, Hattie McDaniel, just to name a few.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January of 2001.