‘Not your typical' Home Renovation

Broadway veteran to film documentary-style series that combines history, home renovation and genealogy

In the renovating process, Hartwell said he hopes to honor the 200-year-old home’s architectural integrity while also staying true to his own past by bringing in Black designers and artisans.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ROBERT HARTWELL

BY EMILY THURLOW

GREAT BARRINGTON — Actor Robert Hartwell is no stranger to the spotlight or the stage.

But, this spring, instead of the lights from Broadway, the lights that might be shining on him likely will be more recessed, pendant-style, or even from a chandelier or two. And the stage, well, that will be the steps up to his own 1820 colonial Great Barrington home as he stars in and co-executive produces a home-renovation series.

Hartwell, whose credits include “Motown” and “Hello, Dolly!”, purchased his Castle Street home this past Juneteenth, and his story went viral on Instagram, garnering more than 505,000 likes after he posted a photo of himself in front of the

4,500-square-foot mansion. In his post, he wrote that when he contacted the seller, he was told that it was a “cash-only offer” and that the seller stated he was sure that “it took [Robert] off the table.” He noted that the house was constructed for the Russell family, who were textile manufacturers working with cotton and wool. Slavery at the time, he wrote, was still legal.

“I know this house is bigger than me. I wish I could’ve told my ancestors when they were breaking their backs in 1820 to build this house that 200 years later a free gay black man was going to own it and fill it with love and find a way to say their name even when 200 years later they still thought I would be ‘off the table’,” he wrote. “We are building our own tables. I’ve never been prouder to be a black man.”

Months before the purchase, Hartwell lost his Aunt Paulette to COVID-19. Her passing was truly devastating, he said.

After shutting himself away in his bedroom, his stepmother coaxed him to go out and get some fresh air. He complied and went for a walk in the park near his Manhattan apartment with a HouseBeautiful magazine in hand. Along the way, he stumbled upon an article about a family who purchased a home right on the Great Barrington border and described it as a “sanctuary” property.

“That level of freedom they described… and to be able to get in my car to go upstate to have space and air … their thoughts really resonated with me and I felt like I could really use a sanctuary of my own at that point,” he said.

Those words led the founder and artistic director of musical theater academyBroadway Collective to Zillow, where he would discover his now Castle Street home, after only viewing two other properties online.

“I immediately just knew: ‘This is going to be my house,'” he recalled.

In the wake of his viral post, Hartwell’sstory received media coverage in the New York Post and Daily Mail, on CBS News and Fox News, and at People.com.

He also received some criticism from publications like the conservative magazine National Review, which asserted that Hartwell had manufactured a racial past about the property.

In a previous interview, Hartwell explained that his words were intended for friends and family, and were taken out of context and morphed into an argument about whether enslaved Blacks in Massachusetts built the house, brick by brick.

The house’s builder, Dr. David Leavenworth, had Black servants in his household in the year that it was constructed — the same year that 425,000 Black people were held as slaves in Virginia, which included Hartwell’s ancestors. But, researching Black history is often missing or incomplete.

Since the purchase, Hartwell has continued looking into the history of his new home and the town it resides in.

“I’ve been buying books on Amazon and doing a deep dive on the life of W.E.B. Du Bois. During the buying process, especially, I was researching every day,” he said.

CREATING A SANCTUARY

Before Hartwell purchased the Castle Street property, he said, the property was used as a medical facility.

“It has been decades since it was an actual home,” he said.

Hartwell, a native of Raleigh, N.C., says that his new home has inspired him to delve into his own lineage.

The first time he entered the home and strolled up the stairs, he noticed a wall on the left-hand side of the stairs.

“It’s a bare white wall that has some plaster chipping. But I didn’t just see the chipping plaster when I looked at it. When I saw that wall, I could see my family tree on that wall. I could only visually see the frames. It was like a movie playing in my mind and I have to connect these dots,” he said.

“I have always been fascinated by history. ... You can’t really tell your whole story unless you have a chance to go back and find the pieces. I’ve been running in my career really quickly, but now it’s time to pause, remember, learn and celebrate.”

In creating a sanctuary of his own, the house will be undergoing extensive renovations that will be documented via BlackManWhiteHouse.co. His restoration efforts have evolved into a documentary-style five-part TV series, “Taking Back the House,” starring Hartwell, from Property Brothers stars Drew and Jonathan Scott, co-produced by OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and corporate cousin HGTV in its first-ever partnership. Hartwell will serve as the production’s executive producer alongside the Scott brothers.

“But this is not your typical home renovation show. It’s not just a before and after. You’ll get history, story and renovation,” Hartwell said. “You’ll get the opportunity to learn about the history and region, and I will be uncovering my own family history that is so unknown because, you know, Black people, at that time of construction of this home, we were tally marks. We did not have names. If we did, it may only be a first name.”

The show also will take viewers through the home-buying process, including securing financing. Hartwell says he feels it’s important to not present a false reality on the challenges of the process. He wants to detail how he is learning along the way as he renovates his 200-year-old home while honoring his past and the architectural integrity of the home. Along the way, he’ll be bringing in Black designers and artisans. At the end of each episode, a room will be unveiled to show the fruits of their labor.

Hartwell hopes to encourage others in the Black millennial community that they do have buying and investment power, and have agency to share stories and insist on making room for others.

“I think it’s going to be quite stunning to see the way that we are intending to tell this story,” he said. “I want to make it honestly and tell the real story. I want people to know that you don’t magically get money for a renovation. There were a lot of sleepless nights.”

Robert Hartwell is founder and artistic director of The Broadway Collective, where he is training the next generation of Broadway artists.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY BJORN BOLINDER VIA ROBERT HARTWELL

He also notes that he has no misconception that in digging into his ancestry, there might be things there that will be unsettling.

“I know there will be some painful things that come up. I don’t think anyone wants to know that their lineage is shrouded in oppression and shrouded in the slave trade, but that is the reality of being a Hartwell in America,” he said. “I’m blessed to know we will have the resources to put together historical pieces that I would never be able to put together on my own.”

Along the way, viewers also will get a peek at interactions with Hartwell’s inner circle of friends and family.

Hartwell expects that construction and filming will begin in the spring. Filming should be wrapped up by the end of this year with a slated show premiere in early 2023.

“I’m so excited to see the home begin to come to life again,” he said. ■