Harris Theater – Pittsburgh

The Harris is named after Pittsburgh businessman John P. Harris, who was recognized as the first man in the world to open a Motion Picture theater. The Harris opened as Avenue Cinema in 1931 and featured “continental pictures.” In 1935, the name changed to the Art Cinema, a name it kept for more than 50 years.

By the 1960s the Art Cinema was part of Pittsburgh’s red-light district and it became an adult movie theater. Purchased in the early 1990s by The Cultural Trust as part of a strategic cultural renaissance, The Harris has been programmed and operated by Pittsburgh Filmmakers since 1995. It is the only movie theater in downtown Pittsburgh and operates seven days a week. The theater seats 200.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers operates three movie theaters in the Pittsburgh area that feature alternatives to the multiplex, including American indies, documentaries and first-run foreign films, along with an ongoing weekly series of popular classics. All three theaters are equipped to project 16mm, 35mm, and digital.