About

This community has an extraordinary opportunity. The chance to create a new public space of this size in the heart of a city is remarkable – and simply unparalleled in the United States. This is especially true with land of such beauty, history, and potential: rich and varied landscapes, dramatic hills and old growth oaks, historic buildings, beautiful prairies and rolling fields, iconic skyline views – all in a bucolic, campus-like setting.

For thousands of years, Indigenous people crossed this land hunting, gathering, and potentially cultivating the site for sustenance. For 150 years this land was part of the Spring Hill Plantation, worked by enslaved African Americans. For the next 160 years it was the site of North Carolina's first mental health facility, Dorothea Dix Hospital – including the past decade as the headquarters for North Carolina DHHS. This rich and complex history prompted the City of Raleigh to have Dix Park become a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, a global network of historic sites, museums and initiatives that strive to turn memory into action in ways that let us draw on the past to paint a better future.

If we rise to this opportunity, Dorothea Dix Park will have a unique ability to bring us together. By honoring the park's history we can build together a unique place of belonging for all individuals and families, for all communities, economic levels, backgrounds, and interests. The benefits of a great urban park are profound –  improvements to physical, mental and emotional health; community health (safety, cohesiveness, empathy, civic pride, belonging); health of our environment, and much more. The park will transform individual lives and will be essential to ensuring a livable and sustainable region for generations to come.

Be a part of creating Dorothea Dix Park as a place for everyone – a transformative public space for community, wellness, play, celebration and resilience that will enrich our quality of life in North Carolina.