The National Historic Landmark Kennebec Arsenal, a former federal military facility, lies just to the north, and the modern complex of the Riverview Psychiatric Center is located just to the south.

On March 8, 1834, the legislature passed resolve to establish the Maine Insane Hospital by the appropriation of $20,000 upon condition that a like sum be raised by individual subscription within one year.

Mental health advocate Dorothea Dix was a consultant on the project, believing fresh air and removal from the stresses of society were important for patient care.

In that role Ray was one of the original thirteen founding members of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane.

The campus also includes a number of utilititarian service buildings, and was landscaped to provide an attractive environment to the patients.

As the patient population declined in the 20th century, spurred in part by changing trends in treatment methods, elements of the complex were repurposed to other uses, primarily state offices.