Dix Park groundbreaking marks start of $5 million restoration project for three historic stone houses
Many people gathered Thursday at Dix Park to celebrate plans to restore three historic stone houses near the front entrance of the campus.
City leaders believe the a large funding project will help make Dix Park a destination for more visitors from across the state.
Thursday’s event included a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the start of a new life for long abandoned stone houses with rich histories.
"This has, I think, always been a gathering place as the physician’s home," said SECU Foundation Executive Director Jama Campbell. "This has been a place of healing, and I think this just speaks centrally to the heart of the park."
The State Employees’ Credit Union and SECU Foundation combined to provide $5 million for the project. The homes were built 100 years ago on the campus of the former Dix Hospital, a landmark mental health facility.
Family members of Dr. Stan Young lived in what was called "The Physician’s House" back when his son, David Young, was just 2 years old.
"[He] drove all the way from Salt Lake City with a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old and his wife was pregnant," David Young said of his father.
The mental facility’s superintendent lived in the largest house of the three. The smallest stone home was called the "Gatekeeper’s Cottage".
All the homes reveal years of neglect, but with new funding, they will be restored and with new purpose.
"Your contribution is going to allow us to create a welcome and visitor center here, community and classroom space, additional public facilities and accessible pathways that allow more people to use the park," Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said.
Historian Ernie Dollar says after World War I, many of the soldiers were left with deep emotional and mental scars.
"All of this together with advances in medicine truly became a charge," Dollar said. "A flag was raised that health care needed to be in place to take care of the state’s mentally troubled."
That’s part of the legacy of Dix Hospital. Now, Dix Park’s mission is to share that story with visitors from across the state and beyond.
"The conservancy’s vision for Dix Park addresses the preservation of this beautiful urban green space in downtown Raleigh," said SECU Foundation Board Chair Bob Brinson. "It brings together our vibrant diverse community to provide a lifelong contribution to the future of our capital city, our region and the state for generations to come."
The project is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
