PITTSBURGH — Crowds gathered outside August Wilson’s childhood home in the historic Hill District on Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of the August Wilson House. The home where the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright spent the first 13 years of his life, after years of fundraising and restoration efforts, expands Wilson’s legacy and promotes black art in culture. Open to the public with the goal of moving forward.
Wilson, who died in 2005, is perhaps best known for a series of 10 plays called The American Century Cycles, which detailed the various experiences of black Americans throughout the 20th century. Nine of these plays are set in the city’s Hill District, a hub for black history, arts and culture. One, “Ma His Rainey’s Black His Bottom” is set in Chicago.
The restoration work took a long time. Wilson’s nephew, Paul Ellis Jr., started the project after his uncle’s death. The abandoned house was left in a dilapidated state. After his death, it became a cultural pilgrimage site for Wilson’s fans, but those pilgrims only faded once they arrived.
With the help of various Pittsburgh foundations and other donors, they include two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington.
The August Wilson House is not a museum. Instead, the restored space is a community center that offers artist residencies, gathering spaces, fellowships, and other programs for up-and-coming artists and scholars. There is also an outdoor stage behind the house, currently hosting a performance of Wilson’s play “Jitney” by his company at the Pittsburgh Playrights Theater through September 18th.
According to Sam Lyman, director and board member of the Richard King Mellon Foundation: August Wilson African American Cultural Centerthe space becomes “the birthplace of August Wilson’s successor”.
Saturday’s ceremony had a star-studded line-up of speakers, including Washington, who, along with Lyman, helped rally millions toward home restoration. starred in, produced and directed the 2016 film adaptation of ‘Fences’, one of his theater based plays, shot throughout the Hill District. He also produced his 2020 film adaptation of ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’.
Washington praised those in attendance for their support of Wilson and his legacy.
Because Wilson is yours and you are his. You just share him with us.
Wilson’s widow, Constanza Romero Wilson, designed the costumes for many of Wilson’s later plays.
“This is a sacred place,” she said of the house at 1727 Bedford Avenue. “To commemorate the hero of our generation, August Wilson. Because the August Wilson House belongs to the hills of black Americans and his story is America’s story of triumph under oppression, it is my It belongs to all Americans.
Also in attendance were local leaders, including Pittsburgh’s first black mayor, Ed Gainey, and city council member Daniel Lovell.
The opening speaker for Gainey’s 1994 college commencement ceremony was none other than August Wilson. The mayor admitted that he had never heard his name until that day. He called his mother, he said, and she told him all about the playwright.
“There’s no kid in town who doesn’t know who August Wilson is. It’s not a kid,” Gainey said. “And today is a testament to how far we’ve come in acknowledging our African-American history in this city and celebrating the heroes who have come before us.”
He added, “Today is August Wilson’s day.”
It was a sentiment repeated by Ravel, who had one note about Gainey’s speech.
“Not only should every child in our city know who August Wilson is, but every person in this country should know who August Wilson is.”
Lavelle also read the City of Pittsburgh’s proclamation declaring August 13, 2022, to be Paul Ellis Jr. Day, honoring his work in preserving Wilson’s home.
“People actually said my vision was too big,” Ellis explains, and when Ellis talks about what he wants to do with his uncle’s house, people proudly declare that he’ll be president one day. He added that he looked at him as if he were
“But as Nelson Mandela said, ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.'”
