Help Bring the Wilt Building to Life as The Augusta Heritage Center

A New Traditional Arts Hub

Built by Our Community, for Our Community

For more than 50 years, the Augusta Heritage Center has brought people together to celebrate the traditional music, dance, craft, and folklore that define the region once known as Augusta. Now, for the first time in our history, we are building a permanent, year-round home for these traditions, a vibrant cultural center in the heart of the community it celebrates.

In 2022, Augusta became an independent nonprofit and purchased the historic Wilt Building. This affords Augusta the opportunity to bring back the  full five-week summer program and so much more. Seasonal programs in the Spring and Fall will deliver more of the content you know and love in addition to dances, concerts, cultural events and afterschool programs for youth.

Opening June 2026, the renovated Wilt Building will feature:

• A beautiful new dance hall and performance space

• A café catering group meals centered on togetherness
• Classroom spaces dedicated to traditional arts education

This is more than a building renovation, it is an investment in the mission of passing on traditional knowledge from one generation to the next.

But we can’t complete this transformation without you.

Your Gift Builds the Future

Every contribution brings us closer to opening the doors of this new cultural home. Your support helps us:

• Finish construction and code compliance
• Install sound, lighting, and program infrastructure
• Create space for dances, workshops, and shared meals 
• Grow year-round programming that will strengthen downtown businesses and expand the regional creative economy

This is your opportunity to help shape the next 50 years of arts, culture, and community in West Virginia.

Join Us—Make Your Gift Today

Your donation is a direct investment in creativity, education, and the living traditions that make Appalachia extraordinary. Together, we can ensure that the Wilt Building becomes a thriving cultural hub for generations to come.