Like the roots of an oak, Dix Park’s impressions grow deep. Ask ten people their favorite thing about Dix Park and you’ll likely get ten different answers.
Walks with friends. Walks with dogs. Steel and concrete pillars rising above the woody, leafy pillars below. The faces of ten thousand sunflowers turning in time to the sun. The faces of ten thousand people turning in time to music. Squeals of delight from children. The sound of absolutely nothing.
“The magic of Dix Park is the generosity of space,” said Dix Park Executive Director Kate Pearce. “It appeals to so many different people for so many different reasons. If you like nature, there’s a space for that. If you want to clear your mind, there’s a space for that. If you want to be active or be still, there’s a space for that.
Former Mayor Nancy McFarlane and former City Manager Ruffin Hall review and sign the documents transferring ownership of the Dix property to the City of Raleigh on July 24, 2015.
For 160 years, the property was the site of North Carolina's first mental health facility, Dorothea Dix Hospital. This year marks the ten-year anniversary of the sale of the property from the State of North Carolina to the City of Raleigh. On May 5, 2015, the sale was approved and two months later on July 24, the contracts were signed.
“The 10-year anniversary is really exciting,” Ms. Pearce said. “We’re putting together something to show the breadth of what we’ve done, but we’ve only scratched the surface here. There have been so many milestones that were beautiful to reflect upon.”
Earlier this summer, the park opened the Gipson Play Plaza. The 18.5 acre plaza was designed by world-renowned landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The plaza features an incredible variety of playgrounds and gathering spaces. Climbing towers, a sensory maze, a waterfall wall, welcoming areas for festivals and performances, a picnic grove, a swing terrace, and much more make the area remarkable.
“The things we heard from the community were so heart-warming,” Ms. Pearce added. “People kept saying they couldn’t believe this was free and was here in their hometown. The response was amazing.”
The work at Dix Park isn't complete. Not by a long shot. The next phase will be to restore and enhance Rocky Branch Creek.
“That's the magic of the park,” Ms. Pearce said. “When you think of coming to Raleigh or visiting the area, what are the top things you want to do? We want Dix Park to be a part of that and I think you can see it happening.”
