Dix as a museum

by Alexander H. Jones | Dec 11, 2015 | NC Politics

Listen closely, and you could hear the clink of toasts and gasps of excitement. So the atmosphere felt when state government finally handed Dix Hill over to the City of Raleigh. Securing that property vindicated a long campaign to save an asset for future generations, and joy was in order.

But others in the progressive community were less happy. In the eyes of some mental health advocates, the transfer of Dix Hill felt like something of an an insult. Reserving all 306 acres for parkland did not just rule out the direct provision of care. It seemed to send the message, yet again, that the mentally ill rank low on government’s priority list.

In fact, the discontent ran deeper. For many in the mental health community, the Dix Campus is an entity of personal importance. That soft expanse of velvety green hills provides a spiritual home. It offers a sense of peace and meaning. The sometimes-giddy tone of the Park Movement could be perceived as disrespectful.

Park advocates–who, it must be emphasized, are strongly aligned with the political interests of the mentally ill–are right on how to use the campus. With the hospital gone, it simply is not an efficient venue for mental health care. Sawing off a piece of the campus for care wouldn’t help the mentally ill much in the scheme of things, even as it made the park less complete. Far better to earmark the proceeds for mental health services.

But there’s a way to honor the sick while enhancing the park’s value as a cultural resource. We could emulate Oregon with a non-profit mental health museum. The museum would be located in one of the campus’s historic buildings. It would be modest–Oregon’s is only 2,500 square feet–and therefore economical, but a valued source of education and commemoration.

Establishing a museum would require, at the least, setting up a foundation and raising money. But park supporters have proven themselves to have impressive organizational muscle. As for cost, proposals like a technology incubator wouldn’t be free either. And a museum would most definitely be worth the money.