Ritzy Picturehouse

The Ritzy is a cinema in Brixton, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building. It is managed by Picturehouse Cinemas, who were bought by Cineworld in 2012. The cinema opened on 11 March 1911 as "the Electric Pavilion". It was built by E.C. Homer and Lucas for Israel Davis, one of a noted family of cinema developers, and was one of England's earliest purpose-built cinemas, seating over 750 seats in the single auditorium. Like many cinemas of the period, it was fitted with an organ. It was seen as a 'scruffy relation' to the nearby Palladium, and was known as the 'flea pit'. In 1913, it became known as the Brixton Pavilion. Sound films began showing in 1929. The neighbouring Brixton Theatre was completely destroyed by bombing in 1940, which allowed the Ritzy to expand into the vacant space. In 1954, it was renovated by noted cinema architect George Coles, who installed CinemaScope: the cinema was renamed "the Pullman" and the organ was removed. In 1964, it became part of the Classic cinema chain and was later renamed "the Classic", before closure in 1976. In 1978 it was saved from demolition and reopened as "The Little Bit Ritzy", run in collaboration with London Cinema Collective, becoming an arthouse cinema. A collaboration between Lambeth Council and the management of the time ensured the cinema's survival, with the facade being rebuilt and restored to near-original condition. It was soon known as just "The Ritzy". During the 1980s, the cinema developed a reputation as having a left-wing agenda, so much so that the incumbent manager was motivated to place an advert in the local press advising potential patrons that not every film that the cinema screened was "left-wing or gay". In 1991, The Ritzy was sold to the Oasis Cinemas Group, a division of the Island Group owned by PolyGram, who also owned Gate Cinema in Notting Hill Gate and The Cameo, Edinburgh. In May 1993 it closed for a £4.5 million renovation and reopened on 29 September 1995 with the main…