The August Wilson Theatre was built in 1925 by the Theatre Guild to house its own productions under the name Guild Theatre. It was extensively renovated in the 1950s and renamed The ANTA. In 1981 it was renamed The Virginia in honor of Virginia M. Biger, who co-owned Jujamcyn Theaters.
In 2005 it took its current name after the playwright August Wilson. It was the first time that a Broadway theater had been named after an African-American.