The revamped
— Texas’ oldest hospital for the care of people with mental illness — may open by summertime, Mayor Kirk Watson said in a recent newsletter.
The 162-year-old site embodies a lot of complicated local history, but as Watson sees it, it also holds a lot of potential for the wellbeing of our community. Let’s dig in.
Past
The Austin State Hospital opened as an asylum in 1861 with 12 patients. As one of the state’s first mental illness treatment centers, the hospital was innovative for its time, but also carried out
and racist practices for the better part of a century.
The site’s history has been an important part of the redevelopment, which included
of the hospital’s former women’s dorms and African American dorm, dining hall, hospital, and tuberculosis wards.
The reconstruction of the old hospital is years in the making, with none other than Watson himself spearheading the charge. As a Texas State Senator, Watson helped pass the legislation that resulted in a contract between Texas Health and Human Services to redesign ASH.