Ritz first opened for the public on the 20th of July 1952. The movie theatre was located in the in newly built house of The Bank of Finland. The grand opening featured the movie “Sadan Miekan Mies” by Kalervo Nissilä. The building was designed by J.S. Sirén. The ground, where the building stands, used to have a lot of elms growing on it which were used for the theatre chairs and walls. The walls are perforated to enhance acoustics. Ritz is protected by the National Board of Antiquities and has been restored in a traditional fashion.
