After five short years of being open, Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center for African American Culture is up for sale, unable to pay its bills and in the red by $10 million.
The polished four-story facility occupies a full block in downtown Pittsburgh. It has been closed and its stages vacant while organizers scramble for a viable option to emerge from debt.The $42 million-dollar center born out of the idea of providing a cultural hub for African-American theater, art and education, is named after hometown two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.
Wilson grew up in a predominately black neighborhood in Pittsburgh in the 1940s and 1950s. The city served as a backdrop for his cycle of 10 plays, which documented the black experience over 10 decades. He died in 2005 and the building was later completed in 2009.
The next two years the center would become crippled by debt, unable to pay employees and vendors, and the reigns handed over to retired bankruptcy judge Judith Fitzgerald. Court-appointed representatives for the center muddled through missing financial records to find out when the center opened its doors, millions in debt stemming from exceeding projected construction costs already loomed over the facility.
Fitzgerald said “essentially every door that we tried to open was not available to us” and that the situation was dire. Out of options, she recommended liquidation.
Last month, a judge stated there was “no other reasonable or cognizable option” but to allow the building to be sold to resolve over $7 million mortgage and other debt. Interest from the Pittsburgh public school disctrict to buy the center has fizzled. Responses for donations have gone unanswered, leaving many wondering why other cultural organizations have received support from the community. Some think it may be due to the center’s business plans which over estimated revenues resulting in negative cash flow based on actual revenue and costs.
At this time, no buyers have stepped forward to assist in keeping the doors open. Fitzgerald remains hopeful that a buyer will come forward. She is accepting proposals until March 31 to have a new owner selected by June 30.