Harris Theater
Encyclopedia
The Harris Theater is a landmark building at 809 Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
's Cultural District
.
Built as Art Cinema, it was the first Pittsburgh venue to show only "art movies". In the 1960s, however, it featured pornographic films at a time when Liberty Avenue was a red-light district
. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
purchased and refurbished the theater as part of its plan for the Cultural District.
In 1995 it was renamed The Harris with a gift from the Buhl Foundation, in honor of John P. Harris
, who was a co-founder of the Nickelodeon—the first theater solely dedicated to the showing of motion pictures—and a Pennsylvania State Senator. (The name "Nickelodeon" was coined by Harry Davis and John P. Harris, who opened their small, storefront theatre under that name on Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh in June of 1905. Davis and Harris found such great success that their concept of a five cent theatre running movies continuously was soon imitated by other entrepreneurs, as was the name of the theatre itself. http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n71.html.
The Harris seats 200 and is operated by Pittsburgh Filmmakers
, a nonprofit media arts center.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's Cultural District
Cultural District, Pittsburgh
The Cultural District is a fourteen-square block area in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south....
.
Built as Art Cinema, it was the first Pittsburgh venue to show only "art movies". In the 1960s, however, it featured pornographic films at a time when Liberty Avenue was a red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a nonprofit arts organization, is a driving catalyst behind the ongoing development of the Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District, Pittsburgh...
purchased and refurbished the theater as part of its plan for the Cultural District.
In 1995 it was renamed The Harris with a gift from the Buhl Foundation, in honor of John P. Harris
John P. Harris
John Paul Harris was a Pittsburgh businessman and politician who opened the world's first theater devoted entirely to showing Motion pictures....
, who was a co-founder of the Nickelodeon—the first theater solely dedicated to the showing of motion pictures—and a Pennsylvania State Senator. (The name "Nickelodeon" was coined by Harry Davis and John P. Harris, who opened their small, storefront theatre under that name on Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh in June of 1905. Davis and Harris found such great success that their concept of a five cent theatre running movies continuously was soon imitated by other entrepreneurs, as was the name of the theatre itself. http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/downtown/down_n71.html.
The Harris seats 200 and is operated by Pittsburgh Filmmakers
Pittsburgh Filmmakers
Pittsburgh Filmmakers is one of the oldest and largest media arts centers in the United States.This non-profit institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania began as a filmmaking-equipment access cooperative in 1971...
, a nonprofit media arts center.