New Granada Theater, Negro Opera house receive $75K grants

A pair of Pittsburgh cultural sites are set to receive cash infusions of $75,000 each.

The Washington, D.C.-based African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced Thursday that 40 African American landmarks around the country would receive funding totaling $3 million. In Pittsburgh, the National Negro Opera Company — the first Black opera company in the U.S. — as well as the New Granada Theater in the Hill District have made the cut.

The funding for the opera house comes after a $500,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and will support the development of a feasibility study and business plan to create a sustainable revenue model.

“It’s critical that the organization is not only focused on stabilizing the building for renewed use but that they understand their business model,” said Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

“Many preservation projects are difficult to sustain financially, so it’s critical for local organizations to rally around these projects,” he added.

The National Negro Opera Company is continuing to raise funds for a $2 million restoration and will become a museum and community center.

The New Granada Theater, built in 1928, will use its $75,000 for facade restorations and capital improvements. The venue once featured the talents of Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker.

“I toured New Granada a decade ago,” Mr. Leggs said. “It’s a perfect example of the patience that’s required and commitment to restore and preserve.”

The goal is for the theater to be restored as a cultural community center, an event space and a black box theater. The Hill Community Development Corp., who stewards the project, also applied for $4.7 million in state funding.

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund was created in 2017 and has raised roughly $30 million thanks in large part to a recent $20 million gift from philanthropists McKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett. The current round of grants will disburse in September or October.

“We’re looking to stimulate the creative economy,” Mr. Leggs said. “New Granada Theater, the Crawford Grill ... are cultural anchors of the Hill District.”