On the northwest edge of downtown Indianapolis sits the Indiana Avenue Cultural District.

In its hey day in the early to mid-20th century, this was a thriving African American neighborhood, full of shops, businesses, and some of the finest jazz clubs in the country.

♪ And at the center of it all was the Madam CJ Walker Building.

And if these walls could talk, man, would they have a lot to say!

Constructed in 1927, this triangular brick structure housed a 1500-seat theater, a ballroom, doctors' offices, a drugstore, and a coffee shop.

The building was designed by the architecture firm Rubush & Hunter.

The unique art deco design interspersed with African and Egyptian motifs gives the building a singular look.

But first and foremost, the building was the headquarters of the Madam CJ Walker Manufacturing Company.

Incorporated in 1910, this cosmetics maker found success catering to the often overlooked needs of Black women.

The company employed a small Army of well-paid and well-trained door-to-door saleswomen, spread out across the country.

Their flagship product, Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower promised to strengthen and regrow hair.

>> So there weren't really a lot of options before Madam Walker.

Most women were washerwomen.

They didn't have access to clean water or time.

And so a lot of times their hair was very dirty.

They wore a lot of scarves, that kind of wore their hair thin.

>> The company was so successful, that when she died in 1919, founder Madam CJ Walker, who was born to formerly enslaved parents, had become the first self-made female millionaire of any race in the United States history.

>> She was the youngest of her siblings.

The only one that was not born into slavery.

She lost her parents early.

She married at 14 years old.

Had a child by the time she was 16, and then was a widow.

And so -- all before the age of 21.

And to have to do all of that, at a time when you are really still a child yourself, you know, I think it's -- it's already in you that you have to be an overcomer.

So there is no other way but up.

>> While Madam Walker didn't live long enough to see the building's completion, you could be sure it would have received her stamp of approval.

>> So the legend goes she attempted to go to a movie at another theater here in Indianapolis, and was initially denied entry, unless she paid what they call a Black tax.

So she needed to pay an additional 15 cents just because of the color of her skin.

She declined to pay.

She actually sued the theater, and she won.

But it was also in that moment that she decided that we needed a place for us.

>> It's believed that Madam Walker purchased this corner plot soon afterwards.

>> And so I would like to say it was FUBU before FUBU, for us, by us.

And so -- but that is -- that is how the theater and this building came, you know, to be.

And to think that she had the vision for something like that in the early 1900s is just amazing.

>> The easing of legal segregation mixed with ill-fated urban renewal projects gradually dismantled the historic Indiana Avenue neighborhood.

The Walker building is one of the last left standing from the Avenue's prime.

It was spared, only through years of hard work and activism, which culminated in a National Historic Landmark designation in 1991.

♪ Today, the building is home to the Madam Walker Legacy Center.

This social justice nonprofit is dedicated to serving the local community and honoring one of America's most successful female entrepreneurs.

And its stage has continued to be a beacon for Black art and culture.

>> So we want everything here at The Walker.

We are open to all.

This past spring, we had Misty Copeland here for a speaking engagement.

We've had a play about the life of Charlie Parker that was here.

You know, Netflix filmed an entire comedy special here.

>> I love everything about Indianapolis, man.

This is a beautiful town right here.

>> And so, you know, I think that the opportunities are endless.

♪ What's the point >> A recent performance at The Walker featured some local talent, Indianapolis R&B group, 4cast.

>> It's one of those situations where it's just like as a kid growing up, you know, you would go past the Madam Walker.

And like I said earlier, you would see so many different artists coming in and performing and stuff like that.

And for us to be able to be one of those artists, to be able to touch up such a gracious stage, man, it's an honor.

It's an honor.

>> It's been nearly a century since the Madam Walker became a hub of African American life in Indianapolis.

Now it's poised to continue that legacy for many, many years to come.

>> I grew up in Indianapolis.

I always heard about Madam Walker.

And so I've never not known it, but to be able to now know that my children or my children's children will be able, you know, to come back here, and they'll be able to learn and see it as well, and know that, you know, I had a very, very small part in making sure that it was around for them.

That's amazing.