(slow jazz music) - [Denise] This house, it's a piece of history.

It's a piece of legacy.

(slow jazz music) - [Lawrence] Two-room apartment, no hot water, no toilet.

They had an outdoor privy next door to there.

(slow jazz music) - People have driven by this building and just wonder, "Hmm, what is this place?

What's going on there?"

This is the birthplace of August Wilson.

(slow jazz music) - [Narrator] Is it sacred ground?

(slow jazz music) (marimba music) (crowd clapping) - I think it's great being able to have somebody like August Wilson from here.

(marimba music) - [Narrator] It was a celebration like no other.

- It's pretty unbelievable really, having a supreme actor like Denzel Washington join up with August Wilson legacy.

- [Narrator] Politicians, filmmakers, writers and educators and this Oscar-winning Hollywood actor.

- Thank you all for being here.

- [Narrator] Were among hundreds who gathered at 1727 Bedford Avenue in Pittsburgh's Hill District.

- [Announcer] Get ready to cut.

- Real cut?

Real cut.

- [Narrator] They were here to honor one of the city's native sons.

- [Crowd Member] Cut.

- Cut.

(crowd applauding) - [Narrator] August 13th, 2022 marked the official opening of the August Wilson House.

- There was a time that the August Wilson House wouldn't have been possible.

- And aren't we excited to be on the ground on which he stood?

(crowd applauding) Absolutely.

(crowd applauding) (string music) - [Narrator] The world knows him now as Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.

But it was here in 1945 that Frederick August Kittle was born and grew up alongside his five siblings and his mother.

- The storefront that you see behind me, August Wilson and his family did not stay there.

They stayed in the rear of the structure in a two room apartment.

- I mean, a lot of places in the Hill had no toilet facilities and theirs was one, so he was poor.

- Here's the entrance and the two rooms to the immediate left was where all six of the siblings and his mother, Daisy Wilson, that's where they all resided.

- [Narrator] Paul Ellis is August Wilson's nephew.

- [Paul] Bella's market was in the front section of this particular structure.

People came here for meat and fish and poultry and all type of produce and things like that.

The store is mentioned, in at least a couple different August Wilson plays.

- [Narrator] Wilson's memories of the Hill District and its people were often reflected in his writing.

- Writing is like walking down this landscape of the self and you have to be willing to confront whatever it is that you've discovered there.

And to deal with it.

- [Narrator] He wrote 10 plays.

All but one, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is set in this Pittsburgh neighborhood, and it's why Ellis felt compelled to help save his uncle's childhood home.

- When I acquired the August Wilson House in 2005, I didn't know that my uncle was terminally ill.

He and I had been talking about acquiring the house.

I told him I was working on it.

I closed on it in February, 2005.

- [Narrator] August Wilson died later that year on October 2nd at the age of 60.

But before he did, Wilson and Ellis talked about their shared vision of what this building could become.

- We went over some of our earlier conversations about using the space as an active art space, programming, things like that.

So we were very much on the same page about that.

- He never liked to be the center of attention.

His house, he wouldn't really want it to be a monument to him.

He would like it to be a community center.

- He wanted the space to be useful.

He did not want it to be museum-like at all.

That's what he told Paul when Paul approached him about it.

And we've honored that wish.

- [Narrator] Denise Turner is acting Chief Executive and Board President of the August Wilson House.

- I'm embroiled in everything, the entire construction project, the interpretive planning, fabrication, design.

- [Narrator] But it was Ellis who first approached movie star Denzel Washington about the renovation.

At the time, Washington was in Pittsburgh filming one of Wilson's plays, "Fences."

- This is incredible.

- Anyone who knows Paul knows that Paul is definitely a go-getter type of person.

So he dropped off some information and Mr. Washington actually called him.

So when we met with Mr. Washington, showed him everything and he promised that he would help us try to raise $5 million.

He just committed to that and he started reaching out to different of his Hollywood friends.

So we received a million dollars from Denzel and Pauletta Washington, a million dollars from Oprah Winfrey, 500,000 from Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, LaTanya Richardson.

We received 250,000 from Antoine Fuqua, who was a Pittsburgh native.

Laurence Fishburne donated $250,000, and so did John McClain who is a friend of Mr. Washington's.

Shonda Rhimes donated 250,000.

And last, but not least.

- Tyler Perry, should be giving more.

No, I'm joking.

(crowd laughs) Tyler Perry is just wonderful and he gave a million dollars.

- Woo!

(crowd applauding) So we wanna thank all of them.

- [Narrator] Many other local and national foundations also contributed to the cause, making it a place where actors, writers and others can study in the same place that gave rise to a theater legend.

- So people will be able to come to Pittsburgh and say this is August Wilson's home.

August Wilson has really put Pittsburgh on the map and I just cannot be prouder.

(saw machine cutting) - [Narrator] But getting this far was not without challenges.

- In 2010, I was issued a condemnation notice by the city of Pittsburgh.

There were some structural considerations.

A few years later, we got another emergency grant from the Pittsburgh Foundation which allowed us to get some permanent masonry done and address some of the water issues that we were contending with, lead paint, asbestos, March of 2021.

And that's when the major construction started.

- So this side of the building is the original side.

This building had narrow staircases so it wouldn't be accessible.

So we put this extra building on so that we could have bathrooms and the elevator and things of that nature.

- [Narrator] The restoration and expansion also added four studios, two galleries, administrative offices and the apartment once occupied by Daisy Wilson and her six children.

- This picture is Daisy Wilson, and this is a picture of August as a young child.

Where we're standing is the 1840 side of the building.

So this chimney is original to the house.

Back here, we have a glass cabinet where we have some artifacts.

What's relevant in here is tied into this beautiful brocade wallpaper.

This wallpaper is reminiscent of the wallpaper that was on the walls when the Wilson family lived here.

(midtempo string music) This is Daisy's kitchen.

This is where August and his other siblings sat and ate and just enjoyed themselves as a family.

And we purposely picked a table with different types of colors and different types of chairs, because back then but there probably wasn't something as a full dining room table and chairs set.

And then we have this beautiful ice box here with the crank handle.

And we also have an old-fashioned radio on the shelf up here.

When you turn our radio on you'll hear Hill district residents and different people's voices.

- [Interviewee] I remember we used to go to Crawford Grill.

- Talking about their family, talking about August Wilson.

- [Interviewee 2] There's an extraordinary amount of talent in the black community.

- So all of these things were purposely selected to represent the time period.

(midtempo string music) So right now we are in Bella's Gallery.

This is where the Siger family, Lewis and Beatrice Siger who lived downstairs and operated and owned the Bella's market which is so critical to the black community.

- [Narrator] And the community will once again use this area for events and arts programs.

- We have a program called Art for August where we paid 10 artists to commission a piece inspired by August Wilson.

- There are also plans to create living spaces nearby for those selected as artists in residence.

- We are looking into rehabbing a home that's right outside the doors to have residency housing for future playwrights and just artists in general.

- [Narrator] Outside the August Wilson house will be used as well for plays and other events.

- The very first thing that we intend to do is our huge signature block party.

(upbeat percussion music) We have that every single April in honor of August Wilson's birthday.

Later in the summer we have our backyard space, we love to put on plays back there.

- [Narrator] This neighborhood has seen more than its share of neglect, but with collaboration and vision this two room apartment is still here.

(midtempo orchestral music) The August Wilson House honors a storyteller whose life and legacy continues to inspire.

- It's a space of creativity.

It's a space where people are nurtured.

It's for the neighborhood.

We're happy to be able to bring something positive to the city.

That's why we're here.

(dramatic string music) (bright orchestral music)