Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette photos August Wilson's daughter, Sakina Ansari-Wilson, applauds the unveiling of the historical marker at 1727 Bedford Ave.

By Christopher Rawson
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A crowd of about 150, drawn mostly from the Hill District but also from many walks of Pittsburgh life, gathered yesterday on a warm morning in front of 1727 Bedford Ave. to unveil a dark blue historical marker.

	Click image above to view a video of August Wilson's sister, Linda Jean Kittel, at the unveiling of a historical marker at their childhood home, 1727 Bedford Ave. Related coverage • August Wilson and his Pittsburgh Cycle: A Coverage Index • Interactive map of August Wilson's Hill District

Its bright yellow text commemorates the achievements of playwright August Wilson, who put the Hill District on the map of American culture. So it was fitting, said his daughter, Sakina Ansari-Wilson, that the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission officially put Mr. Wilson's birthplace on the map of Pittsburgh in return.

The ceremony was a mix of official pomp and neighborhood party. The warmth of the morning was matched by the warmth of memory and of pride extending beyond Mr. Wilson to the community that inspired him.

All that was in contrast to the dilapidation of the building, but Mr. Wilson's nephew, lawyer Paul Ellis, who owns 1727 Bedford with the adjacent Butera house, told the crowd he hopes it will convene again soon to celebrate their rebirth, perhaps as an educational or cultural center.

It was in the second-floor apartment behind Bella's Market that Frederick August Kittel lived with his family from his birth, April 27, 1945, until they moved to Hazelwood when he was 13. Later, as August Wilson, he would make the Hill the setting of nine of the 10 plays of his epic Pittsburgh Cycle, chronicling African Americans' 20th-century tribulations.

Sister Freda Ellis in front of the still-veiled historical marker. Click photo for larger image.

Among the speakers were Mr. Wilson's relatives -- in addition to Mr. Ellis and Ms. Ansari-Wilson, Mr. Wilson's siblings Freda Ellis, Linda Jean Kittel and Edwin Kittel and his niece Kimberly Ellis.

"I'm not the orator my brother was," said Edwin Kittel, who proceeded to measure up very well. Sometimes this was by adapting his brother's words, as when he said, "I stand here in my grandfather's shoes" and noted that this was the actual "ground where he took his first step," in reference to Mr. Wilson's famous testament, "The Ground on Which I Stand."

"August was my brother, my father, my teacher and my mentor," said Mr. Kittel with tears in his eyes.

Linda Jean Kittel, the sister closest to Mr. Wilson in age, arrived on the arm of their brother, Richard Kittel. "August is here in spirit and memories and in the love we carry for him in our hearts," she said. She recalled his imagination when very young, seeing shapes in blotches on the wall, and she remembered a friend saying, "Your family was poor, but you didn't know it."

Brother Edwin Kittel Click photo for larger image.

Freda Ellis called the dedication "a homecoming" for her brother and said "we honor the mother who shaped his life." She cited his insistence that "the belief you have in yourself must be greater than anyone's disbelief."

Then her daughter, performer, academic and activist Kimberly Ellis, led the singing of a verse of her humorous pro-Hill protest song, "Raise Your Hand."

Speaking with quiet passion were old friends Sala Udin and Chawley Williams. Mr. Udin said, "August Wilson was a freedom fighter. His pen was his weapon. ... When we saw winos, August saw philosophers ... when we saw the ghetto, August saw Broadway." He listed other Hill elders whose historical company Mr. Wilson keeps.

Mr. Williams spoke of meeting Mr. Wilson when the latter first entered the artistic life of the Hill and attracted amused reactions. "When August and I met, our world shook, and everything about us landed differently."

Nephew Paul Ellis, owner of 1727 Bedford Ave. Click photo for larger image.

Speaking on behalf of the institutions that secured the historical marker were Andrew Masich of the Heinz History Center, Neil Barclay of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture and Barbara Franco of the Historical and Museum Commission. Ms. Franco paid special tribute to Mr. Wilson's ability to bring art and history together, understanding that past, present and future are intertwined. Historian Larry Glasco spoke of how the house epitomizes the Hill's multi-ethnic history.

Congratulatory messages and proclamations were read from Gov. Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. In several jurisdictions, yesterday was named August Wilson Day.

Niece Kimberly Ellis leads a Hill District protest song. 1727 Bedford Ave. is at right, the Butera house at the left.