Today marks the fifth anniversary of the City of Raleigh’s purchase of Dorothea Dix Park — 308 acres previously owned by the state, which housed Dix Hospital from 1856 to 2012. The mission statement? “A park for everyone, built by everyone.”

In 2019, the City Council approved the park’s master plan, which will develop the space for community recreation and events (remember Dreamville and Sunfest?).Some have even said it will eventually become Raleigh’s equivalent of NYC’s Central Park.

The phase one implementation plan proposed last fall includes the creation of a multi-use path along Lake Wheeler and an urban connector between Dix Park and Chavis Park.

Planning and development of the Gateway Plaza and play area is currently underway + that project will be led by American landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh’s team at MVVA, which has received several notable awards, including one for the design of Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York. To see more of MVVA’s program ideas and concept art for Dix Park, click here.

The phased development of the park will be funded over decades through public-private partnerships. The Dix Park Conservancy was founded in 2016 to oversee investments and manage projects to ensure the implementation of the Master Plan. You can read more on their website + find out how you can help the vision become reality through donations and volunteer efforts.

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