Friend of Dix

One of North Carolina’s irreplaceable Pre-Civil War historic landmarks and environmental treasures sits atop a hill on 335 acres overlooking North Carolina’s capital city.  Its future is being threatened.  The Dorothea Dix Campus, established in 1848, is a designated National Historic Registered District.  The total property at its height was over 1,800 acres.  Now, less than twenty percent of the property remains intact.  Less than 100 acres of undesignated open space remains.

The hospital will be moved soon.  It is possible that the remaining parcel may be sold by the State. Its status as a Historic District will not save it from developers eager to cash in on its beautiful vistas, stands of mature trees, and rolling hills in the heart of the city.  DDCPC maintains that its highest and best use is as a park memorializing what previous generations of North Carolinians gave in establishing an “asylum” to meet a distressing public need.

Our Vision 

The remaining Dorothea Dix property is one of North Carolina’s pre-Civil War historical treasures with significant vistas and natural habitats.  As a public asset the remaining property should be permanently preserved for all North Carolinians now and in the future. The Coalition is dedicated to preserving the existing pastoral setting within the context of responsible urban growth. The Dorothea Dix campus property must remain a jewel of green in the heart of Raleigh.

Join Our Effort 

Become a visionary.  Let Dorothea Dix once again inspire North Carolinians to demonstrate a far-sighted vision by creating a state capital park.

Relevant Facts

Economic Benefits of Public Parks 

Great cities have great public parks, which have real and measurable economic benefits. For example, parks can contribute significantly to the land values in a city. In New York, the real estate values around Bryant Park, Central Park, Prospect Park and Riverside Park are the highest in the city.  The close proximity of a park would enhance the quality of life in South Raleigh.  In addition to providing a destination in the soul of the city for cultural activities and recreational pursuits, entrepreneurial activities such as markets, fairs and festivals could thrive in the park.

History 

It was an interesting twist of fate that James C. Dobbin (1814 - 1857) an influential member of the legislature from Cumberland County ensured the passage of the bill establishing a state asylum.  By chance, Dorothea Dix stayed at the Mansion House Hotel while lobbying to establish the hospital, and while there, she compassionately nursed a critically ill woman also staying at the hotel.  Unknown to Dorothea, the sick woman was Dobbin’s wife.  Mrs. Dobbin, just before her death had asked her husband to support the “asylum” bill.  Dorothea traveled to Fayetteville to attend her friend’s funeral.  Hearing of the defeat of the measure to raise money for the asylum, Dobbin hurried back to Raleigh to make a stirring plea for reconsideration of the bill.  The bill, upon reconsideration, received final passage on December 30, 1848 and the facility was later named in honor of Dorothea Dix.

February 12, 2004

The Honorable Eric Reeves
The Honorable David Miner and
The Honorable Jennifer Weiss, Co-Chairs
Dorothea Dix Property Study Commission
General Assembly of North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603

Re: Dorothea Dix Property Recommendations

Dear Senator Reeves and Representatives Miner and Weiss:

Thank you for requesting public comments on the Dorothea Dix Property in Raleigh. I commend the General Assembly for providing an opportunity for the public to review and comment on future use and management of this important property in Raleigh and the Research Triangle Region.

The General Assembly established the Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) in 1996 to protect and restore water quality in North Carolina and “to acquire land for riparian buffers for the purposes of providing environmental protection for surface waters and urban drinking water supplies and establishing a network of riparian greenways for environmental, educational, and recreational uses.” (GS 113-145.3 c) (1)).

Thanks to appropriations from the General Assembly CWTMF provides grants to local governments, other state agencies, and qualified non-profit conservation organizations to acquire riparian buffers, wetlands, floodplains, and greenways. CWMTF tries to protect 300-foot riparian buffers, wetlands and the 100-year floodplain.

CWMTF recommends that the State place a conservation easement that protects at least 100-foot riparian buffers, all land in the 100-year floodplain, all wetlands, and the existing greenway trail at Dorothea Dix before the State redevelops the property for state use or before the State sells the property. CWMTF notes that NC State University protected riparian buffers when it recently sold property in West Raleigh. CWMTF would recommend that this policy apply to the development and sale of all state lands.

Smart Growth Principles recommend that 20-30% of land that is proposed for development should be protected as parks and open spaces. A substantial amount of the original Dorothea Dix property has already been developed for NCSU’s Centennial Campus and the new Farmers Market. CWMTF recommends that the State work with the City of Raleigh and citizens to identify a location for a new city park at Dix. The State could enter into a long-term lease with the City to manage the park. A new city park will enhance the value of the remaining property at Dix and NCSU’s Centennial Campus.

Thanks to continuing appropriations from the General Assembly for the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Parks & Recreation Trust Fund, and Natural Heritage Trust Fund North Carolina is making progress in protecting its water resources, important natural areas, and its quality of life. However the State’s growth and the price of land is increasing faster than our efforts to protect our land and water. CWMTF recommends that the General Assembly dedicate 25% of the revenue from the sale of state lands for development to CWMTF, PARTF, and NHTF. As the State sells and develops its own lands it should set aside at least 25% for land and water conservation.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Bill Holman

cc: The Honorable Charles Meeker
Richard Rogers

The Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh is closing. Will the hillside open space of the Dorothea Dix property overlooking Raleigh be sold to the highest bidder or will the public retain control and use? The State of North Carolina acquired the beginnings of what became 2300 acres to establish a mental hospital in Raleigh in 1848. Highways, dams, landfills, warehouses, expansion of NC State University, and other uses have reduced the Dorothea Dix Campus to a mere 335 acres. Only about 100 acres – less than 5% of the original Dix campus – outside the floodplain remains open, green, and accessible to the public.

The future of the state-owned Dorothea Dix Hospital Campus is now up for grabs. The future of this property is up to you. “Some people – including some legislators – want to sell the property to developers for a quick buck.”

April 1, 2005, is the deadline for a new Master Plan from the DOROTHEA DIX MASTER PLAN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, a subcommittee of the Dorothea Dix Property Study Commission. This committee is charged with enhancing communication and feedback as it oversees the development of a new Master Plan by the Charlotte firm LandDesign. Representatives from LandDesign will be gathering input from “stakeholders” through meetings and public forums during December and January. Following review of the new Master Plan, the Property Study Commission will make recommendations to the 2005 General Assembly. Will it be the quick buck?

The FRIENDS OF DOROTHEA DIX PARK  has a better idea. “We support permanently protecting the remaining open space and creating a new Dorothea Dix Park for all the citizens of North Carolina to enjoy. We need your help to protect this beautiful, sacred and threatened place.” Personal visits, phone calls, letters and emails are the most effective.

Public spaces have many real and measurable economic benefits. For example, parks can contribute significantly to the land values in a city. In New York, the real estate values around Bryant Park, Central Park, Prospect Park and Riverside Park are the highest in the city. Minneapolis’ prime residential areas are located along the extensive park and trail system surrounding its numerous lakes. California’s Pacific Coast beaches and parks provide the setting for some of the most expensive homes in the country. Several neighborhoods near the Dorothea Dix property has been targeted for redevelopment. A nearby public park would enhance those efforts.

A public park in close proximity could enhance the Farmer’s Market. A park and its surrounding area can be not only a place to understand and relate to nature, but it can also be a place for social and cultural exchange. A park can be alive and teeming with entrepreneurial activities such as markets; physical activities such as children playing or people skating, walking or jogging; for cultural activities, such as art and community events; or for simply socializing with friends
For many years and in many cities throughout the world, parks have played a pivotal role in shaping the success of cities. The first formal “parks,” such as Central Park in New York City, were created in the 19th century, to be passive and beautiful, in contrast to the dense and dirty reality of urban life. However, they were, in the long run, a collection of important destinations and places. The Sailboat Pond in Central Park is a good example of such a “place,” and remains both a destination in the park and a place to enjoy nature. An urban Raleigh Park would increase Raleigh tourism appeal.
Great cities have great downtown parks; note that 335 acres is not large compared to other urban parks.

New York, 843 acres- Central Park
San Francisco, 1,017 acres - Golden Gate Park
San Diego, 1000 acres - Balboa Park
New Orleans. 1500 acres
Pittsburgh, 640 acres plus similar-sized parks in the city
Philadelphia, 8,700 acres
Nashville, TN, 1,125 in town (plus 9,100 acres 9 miles from town)
Austin TX, 16,076 acres in the urban area
Houston, TX, 445 acres downtown plus 20,000 acres urban
Sacramento, CA, 600 acre, William Land Park
Atlanta – Centennial Park
Milwaukee Shoreline
Chicago - Lake Front Parks

Parks provide settings for cultural and social activities to enhance tourism
Often, public places offer free, open forums for people to encounter art, to enjoy performances, and to participate in other cultural activities. From “Shakespeare in the Park” festivals to string quartets at a downtown plaza, good places foster and enhance a city’s cultural life. Providence, Rhode Island’s WaterFire, an award winning fire and music installation, has had an impressive cultural and economic impact, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the downtown riverfront on summer and fall evenings. A symbol of the city’s renaissance, WaterFire brings people and events to a central urban area that had been typically deserted after dark. These events also bring a great variety of people together and set the stage for positive social interaction.
Parks help the environment
Great public places also have environmental benefits because they give relief to urban living. Not only do they reduce the need for and dependence on the automobile, but parks and other “green” public spaces, such as waterfronts and wildlife areas, increase people’s appreciation for and stewardship over the natural environment, and also provide habitats for animals – for example, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is home to more than 200 species of birds. What is more, the trees and other greenery so characteristic of these places filter out pollutants and freshen the air.

Will Hooker

As you enter the Dix property from Bilyeu St. (opposite the Circle K across Ashe Ave. from Pullen Park), Bilyeu will turn into Barbour Dr. as it enters the hospital grounds to the left.

Traveling up the hill on your left is a wonderful oak forest in what used to be known as Kendall Circle. Just beyond this grove a bit, there’s a fairly big parking lot that is sunken below the level of the road on the left. Looking out over this parking lot is, many believe, the best view of the downtown Raleigh skyline in all of Raleigh. It is especially magical at sunset, with the light twinkling off the windows in the tall office buildings. There are many moods to seen from this vantage point.

Traveling along Barbour, there are large oaks on either side of the fairly narrow drive; this is called an “alee”.

Still on Barbour Dr., at the intersection of Blair (there is construction of the Food Shuttle’s transfer warehouse on the right), the big field kitty-corners to the left is almost unique in Raleigh. It is a unique big, fairly flat field, about 45 acres, broken only by one old tree in the middle. Here, people fly model airplanes, kites; throw Frisbees, play pick up field games and the K-9 corps trains their dogs.

Entering Dix from Western Blvd, on the drive just opposite Boylan Ave., leads to any number of buildings directly ahead. The intent now is to make one of the stone buildings, directly ahead and to the right, into a museum dedicated to Dorothea Dix and mental health.

Taking the very first left immediately after entering the property, will lead down into a parking lot, with the asphalt greenway path heading out to the east from there. A short distance down that path on the right is a multi-colored gazebo set on the western fringe of a large, flat plain of lawn. This is a favorite place for dog walkers, picnickers, etc.

The slopes above grassy plain are covered in large, stately oaks, a beautiful site in themselves; but the slopes also become the main sledding place for folks whenever there’s a good snowfall. This hillside is a treasured memory of anyone who grew up in Raleigh.

There are interesting tidbits of history throughout the grounds for instance the bridge over the creek just opposite Boylan Ave. was where the City of Raleigh surrendered to Sherman during the Civil War.

The Master Plan for Dorothea Dix is for the Department of Health and Human Services to make it a campus for its offices and other department offices. Currently there are 1200 employees after the hospital leaves. DHHS have approximately 2800 employees are in leased buildings(440,000) or government buildings downtown. All together the State leases two million square feet of space (almost 9,000). In the next couple years 270 employees are being displaced from Blount St.

The Oak Grove was transferred to NC State at the same time as Spring Hill. The soccer fields by Western Blvd are owned by the School for the Deaf across Western. The rest is DHHS control. The slopes at the front of the property are unlikely to be built on. The field at the back of the property could be built upon.
The State has invested $27 million since 1992 to renovate 23 buildings. There are 19 left un-renovated including the hospital.
NC State has restored Raleigh Lake on Centennial Campus, building densely in the middle and leaving open space. The golf course is to be environmentally sensitive state-of-the-art.

Walnut Creek at the back of the property runs from Lake Johnson to Lake Raleigh and is part of the greenway area. Rock Creek is at the front of the property.

Historic Aspect from the National Register of Historic Places

The property is on the National Registry as a Historic District. The designation gives it no legal protection. There are three contributing structures (two entrance gates and a gazebo) and fourteen contributing buildings* built from 1898-1939. There are two noncontributing buildings (Center Building built in 1858 but partially demolished and expanded (McBryde Building is in the center) and a small engineering office. Other historic buildings are on the property given to NC State.**

“The overriding importance of Dix Hill is its campus design, of which the landscape is a vital and unifying element.” Horticulture was an important part of therapy.

* Dix Contribution Historic Buildings
Gatekeeper’s Ledge and Doctor’s Residence – 1923 (Boylan entrance)
Superintendent’s Resident –1923 (west edge of grove)
Anderson nurses’ dormitory 1915
Harvey patients’ dormitory 1924
Buffaloe House staff residence– 1898
Benner House staff residence 1925
Behind Center Building
Spruill dormitory 1935
Carpenter Shop 1910
Old Boiler Room 1910
Hoey Building dormitory 1939
Broughton, Clark, Brown - a row of 3 large 1930 dormitories along Biggs Dr.

** NC State Historic Buildings
Spring Hill, plantation house 1820 on National Registry
Kirby Building 1924 and Adams 1939 aren’t eligible because they are among new buildings

Ownership
State Transfers
To transfer land within state government, the department owning the land must release it. Then a department must be willing to assume responsibility for the land. There is no indication that any department is willing to do that. Fortunately Carmen Hooker Odom is standing firm to keep the land for DHHS but that doesn’t guarantee the future. There is precedence for transfer to counties and cities. However, part of the reason that the hospital was moved was due to anger at Wake County for using the State hospital and not spending money on a county hospital. A gift to Wake County may not be realistic. We can’t afford to wait to see how it plays out and not raise money. If we don’t need to purchase the property the funds can be put into a fund for building park features and maintenance. Just the fact that we are raising money shows the depth of interest in the park. And by advocating to use the site for state offices should help with the purchase price.

Ownership Options
State Parks Division oversees more rural settings and is not interested in urban properties with grass to maintain.
State Historic Sites Division feels overwhelmed and underfunded has concerns that past private/public funds have not been matched yet the Division is still obligated to staff and maintain the properties. They are not opposed to Dix Park.
Raleigh Parks staff and Wake County Parks staff are waiting to hear from their elected officials.
The Historic Community is enthusiastic about a park yet differ on the value of renovating the hospital. There are some funds available. Some of the community favor private ownership of existing buildings while others don’t.
It can be defined as part of the greenway system.
Ground-leasing is an option if the state gives up the buildings.

Adjacent Property

Catholic Church – 40 acres to the west that will be developed into housing.

Centennial Campus is 1,099 acres, including land purchased (Catholic Church) and 130 acres
transferred from Dix in 2000.

James Dobbin (1814-1857) ensured the passage of the bill establishing a state insane asylum, later named for Dorothea Dix. Dorothea Dix came to North Carolina to lobby to establish a state insane asylum. Staying at the Mansion House Hotel in Raleigh, Dorothea learned of a woman lying critically ill in one of its rooms. She went at once and set about nursing and comforting her.

The sick woman was the wife of James C. Dobbin of Fayetteville, an influential member of the legislature. Dorothea spent all the time possible with Mrs. Dobbin. When she died on December 18th, Dorothea traveled to Fayetteville for the funeral. Deeply appreciative for Dorothea’s kindness, Mrs. Dobbin-just before her death-asked her husband to support the “asylum” bill. Hearing of the defeat of the measure to raise money for the project, Mr. Dobbin hurried back to Raleigh from his wife’s funeral and made a stirring plea for reconsideration of the bill, developing a workable compromise for raising the funds required. The bill passed the House in late December and the Senate, December 30, 1848.

In the 1890’s state hospitals were admitting alcoholics, drug users and epileptics as patients. In an effort to reduce the increasing number of patients, the legislature mandated the transfer of the insane criminals back to the central penitentiaries in the 1890’s.

The Insane Law of 1899 changed the name of the asylum to “The State Hospital at Raleigh”, and revised the code for admission of the mentally ill to hospitals. For the first time there was “voluntary” admission. In the early 1900’s citizen pressure forced the NC Legislature to increase capacity at all state hospitals. An epileptic colony was established to the rear of the hospital on 1,155 acres of land, known as the Spring Hill Farm and the Oregon Farm. It was purchased by the state from Mrs. Elizabeth Grimes. She was the widow of William Grimes, a wealthy plantation owner from Eastern North Carolina. By 1911 a training school for the retarded in Kinston, NC removed these patients from the hospital.

The General Assembly voted to build a mental hospital in Butner and close the Dorothea Dix hospital. At the point the idea of selling all the Dorothea Dix property surfaced. A legislative committee was appointed to study the issue. The directive was to study what should be done with the property if it sold. There is a real danger that the property could be sold for private rather than public use.

Parks protect the environment and enhance the economy. The City of Raleigh, Wake County, and the State of North Carolina are investing millions of dollars to acquire new parks and greenways and to protect water quality. Wake County has just spent $20 million acquiring new parkland and voted to approve borrowing another $26 million for parks in the last election. The NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Parks & Recreation Trust Fund, and Natural Heritage Trust Fund have invested over $15 million to acquire parkland in Wake County.

Protecting the existing land at Dix is much, much more cost effective than spending state and local funds to buy new land. Furthermore the State discourages development in the 100-year floodplain and in riparian buffers. The best way for the State to protect floodplains and buffers at Dix is to protect them as a park. We — the citizens of North Carolina – already own this land.

Protection of open space was the top priority on a recent Raleigh citizen survey – above transportation needs.

Great cities have great parks. Atlanta spent a fortune trying to buy back about 20 acres for its downtown Centennial Park. Creating the Dorothea Dix Park would protect water and air quality, improve the quality of life, attract new investment, and increase property values – particularly downtown, Pullen Terrace, Boylan Heights, Caraleigh, NCSU’s Centennial Campus, and south Raleigh. People need parks.

Raleigh, Wake County and the Triangle are growing rapidly. Green space is shrinking. According to the City of Raleigh Raleigh’s population is increasing 10% every four years. According to Environmental Defense Wake County has lost one out of three trees in the last 12 years.

Development can be built just about anywhere. Dix is the only site left for a large downtown park for the Capital City.

The Dorothea Dix Campus is important to North Carolina and the nation’s history. It’s a National Register Historic District.

North Carolina is trying to retain and recruit “knowledge workers” to grow its economy. Knowledge workers can live anywhere. Parks, greenways, trails, clean air, and clean water are key to retaining and attracting knowledge workers.

The State is currently using the existing buildings as offices for 1200 employees. If the hospital closes, that space could provide office space for some of the 1800 employees in leased space. Leasing space is more costly than using already state-owned space.

Considering all factors, it would be foolish to sell this particular piece of property.