As far as I can tell, Mayor Meeker’s response to a question after the State of the City speech yesterday was the first public confirmation that the Dorothea Dix Hospital property won’t fall in to private hands. Although I haven’t been following the saga of the state’s first mental institution very closely, this seems like really big news.

The State of the City

When asked about the fate of Dix after the address, the Mayor had this to say:

I believe the governor’s office wants to get there, it’s not clear exactly how that structure will be. I have talked with her about it in the last month. […] There is some work being done with the General Assembly. […] It’s one of the 2 or 3 things right at the top of my agenda.

The state has not advanced any plans to either sell the property to a third party or to put any additional offices there. The thought is, we want to go in that direction, but what plan is most acceptable to get us there?

— Mayor Charles Meeker, State of the City address (~20:00)

Rear section of the Harvey Building

By “most acceptable”, the mayor is no doubt referring to the price tag at which the General Assembly would let go the property for. Mr. Meeker pegged the value of Dix Hill at around $10 million (~$34,000/acre). State Senator Neal Hunt (R – Wake County) estimates the value at $40 million, and thinks the city should pay more, stating: “I think the city needs to be in a position to pay what the land’s worth.”

It looks like the final hurdle to transferring the land from state to city control is the price at which it is sold.

Putting a Price Tag on Beauty

What is the value of intrinsic natural beauty with a direct line of sight to our downtown skyline? I can’t answer that, but I do hope this won’t be a long and protracted battle between municipal and state governments.

old houses on Boylan Avenue leading up to Dix Hill

The state erased vast swaths of our city’s history when building along historic Blount Street in the 1960s and 1970s, and in my opinion it owes the city for its past folly in the area.

And speaking of residential demolition, the state has been quietly knocking down many of the small houses which once comprised the surrounding neighborhoods. Three years ago I wrote about one such forgotten neighborhood on the grounds of Dorothea Dix Hospital. That neighborhood is now completely gone and only a few scattered houses elsewhere remain.

It’s hard to get a grasp of how wide open so many of the spaces are (above). I can’t think of one grassy area for dozens of miles that is as large as the space above.

The 1815 Theophilus Hunter House

Among many of the treasures here is the Spring Hill House, also known as the Theophilus Hunter House. Officially a part of NCSU campus, it is home to the North Carolina Japan Center.

This historic house is only one reason that Dorothea Dix is a treasure beyond measure for North Carolina residents.

Was Dix Really at Risk?

Perhaps the area wasn’t really in danger of being completely sold to developers, but it sure seemed that way to me. I can only imagine what a subdivided tract with views of the skyline could be worth, and the what the drive to put housing there would be.

This is one of the precious few green areas that are both isolated as well as provide stellar views of our downtown skyline. Restricting these views to the privileged few within a gated community would be a travesty, and I am relieved to see this won’t happen.

In the Hands of ‘Visionaries’

It looks as though for now much of the power and decision making lies with a group called the Dix Visionaries, who are in favor of designating the entire are as a park district.

The mission statement from the Dix Visionaries broaches the topic of preservation in this way:

For over 150 years, this land has helped heal the mentally ill. The landscape remains dotted with monuments and buildings of healing. We wish to preserve this noble history by leaving many of the buildings and landmarks intact – in recognition of the humanitarians and healers who came before us.

— Dix Visionaries

Whatever the future holds, I am far more optimistic now than I have been about this issue.

Dorothea Dix sunset

Have Your Say

What would you like to see be developed or otherwise done with this property? I am grateful for the vision of the ‘Visionaries’, but I also think all Raleigh residents should have equal say in what we do with our most precious natural resource, the land encompassing Dorothea Dix Hospital.

Related Articles:

• Forgotten Neighborhood of Dorothea Dix
• No Words, Just Pictures: Dorothea Dix

Further Reading:

• Raleigh State of City address
• Dorothea Dix’s value is in the eye of the beholder
• Meeker calls for people-friendly projects in Raleigh
• Dorothea Dix property debate resurfaces