The Hill District home of August Wilson has earned a spot on the national stage. 

A $500,000 grant from Save America’s Treasures will restore the home into an arts and education center, KDKA-TV reports. The Hill District building was the childhood home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, who wrote “Fences,” “The Piano Lesson,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and more.

The money will be administered through Duquesne University. Mayor Bill Peduto praised the university for “understanding that the campus of Duquesne University extends well beyond its buildings.”

“This is not just a national recognition of the importance of August Wilson House,” said August Wilson House Director Paul Ellis Jr. “It honors and affects all of Pittsburgh, as well.”

Construction is expected to begin by year’s end with hopes for a grand opening by Wilson’s birthday on April 27, 2021.

In addition to the grant, the home’s staff raised matching funds to support artistic programs, performances, reading roundtables, and educational tours of the house and the Hill.

In other news …

Pro-tip, Downtown workers: Work from home on Wednesday. Seriously, tell your boss the police told you to. With President Donald Trump’s visit to a shale drilling conference at the convention center, police are warning of traffic nightmares. Closures “will reach their peak” at 9 a.m. Protests are also expected. (90.5 WESA / WTAE)

Up for a drive? If you said yes, DeBence Antique Music World, about 80 miles north of Pittsburgh, is definitely worth it. See a collection of ornate disk players, Victrolas, coin-operated mechanical music machines, calliopes, band organs, and phonographs. And if you can’t make the drive, this Pittsburgh Orbit piece will give you a peek inside. (Pittsburgh Orbit)

Pumpkin Spice Lovers, this one’s for you. Here’s a road trip of where to find everything from pumpkin pancakes to pumpkin whiskey to pumpkin soft serve. There’s also an Instagram-worthy gnocchi pumpkin bowl you’ve got to see to believe. (Good Food Pittsburgh)

As we prepare for our birthday party, we’re reflecting on The Incline’s three years in Pittsburgh as a scrappy start-up out to do local news differently.

In addition to writing about 557 people you should know, we’ve covered everything from the critical to the delightful, striving to highlight untold stories, unheard voices, and under-covered neighborhoods.

We wanted to share a few of our favorites:

• Fresh Divide, a four-part series examining food deserts in Clairton, Homewood, and the Hilltop
• Our Peculiar Pittsburgh series answering reader questions about everything from that mysterious Allegheny shipwreck to why Pittsburghers add an ‘s’ to words to the deal with monkey balls
• Our Pittsburghpedia series, a handy glossary of words and phrases unique to our city like “The T” and “Take Bigelow”
• Procrastinator’s Guides to the elections, like this one
• Guides to Pride, Picklesburgh, Juneteenth, Anthrocon, and more
• Examinations of tech’s impact in Braddock
• Extensive coverage of the arts, from street art to nail art
• Coverage of Pittsburgh’s food and drink scene, with scannable monthly updates
• Dives into local history, from 1815 to 1912 to 1973
• A feature on the Pittsburgh officer who became a cop to write a book — and never stopped
• A look at why lawmakers say it’s time for Pennsylvania to pay for its criminal justice mistakes
• The answer to why you can’t escape Shen Yun in Pittsburgh

What do you want to see us write about in the next three years? Hit reply and let us know.

Cheers to this list of local booze, courtesy of Good Food Pittsburgh. If you’re into eating local, why not drink local, too?

Oh, and speaking of local drinks, we’ll be toasting with Brew Gentlemen beers tomorrow night at our birthday party — join us. 🍻