Foundations Drop Bid to Buy Troubled Pittsburgh Arts Center

A coalition of philanthropic groups withdrew its offer Monday to purchase Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center for African American Culture, saying the debt-ridden venue’s conservator has indicated opposition to their bid, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

“Unfortunately, it is clear from her report that the receiver prefers an alternative bid that will transfer ownership of the Center’s iconic facility to a commercial enterprise,” said John Ellis, a spokesman for the Pittsburgh Foundation, referring to a court filing by the conservator, former bankruptcy judge Judith Fitzgerald.

The foundation was representing a consortium of unidentified groups that entered the bidding to buy the $40-million venue with plans to maintain it as a hub for African American arts. The center went into receivership last year after its bank started foreclosure proceedings.