Opened on 24th February 1910, this Notting Hill landmark was one of the first buildings in the country to be built for and designed specifically motion picture exhibition. The small 600 seat cinema was soon dwarfed by the palaces of the 1930's, but remained opened (on and off) until the 1990's. In 2001, the Electric Cinema was restored and reopened after a £ 2 million Pound facelift. A local resident, Peter Simon, funded the restoration, upgrading the sound and the screen. Seating is now provided in 98 luxurious leather armchairs with adjacent tables and plenty of leg-room and 2 two-seater leather sofas at the rear. The Electric has now re-opened and is operated by Cityscreen, a small theater chain that exhibits mostly independent and art house films.