As part of its mission to transform the Cultural District, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust purchased and restored the facility leading to further conversions of run-down properties along the Liberty Avenue corridor. With 194 seats for movies and 178 seats for live performances, the Harris Theater officially opened to the public on November 9, 1995. The Harris was named through a gift from the Buhl Foundation after John P. Harris, co-founder of the Nickelodeon—the first theater solely dedicated to the showing of motion pictures—and a Pennsylvania State Senator. The Harris Theater features contemporary, foreign and classic films.