Catlow Theater - Barrington, IL - Neon Signs on Waymarking.com

From the Catlow Theater web site:
"In the mid-1920's, the Catlow Theater was merely a dream for Wright Catlow. Catlow was a Barrington businessman. His father owned the building that served as the village community center.

The Auditorium, as it was called, was used for dances, meetings and community events. It was also used as the showplace for the silent films of that era.

The community center eventually became inadequate for the areas growing film audience.

Catlow started building the new theater on West Main Street in 1926. The theater was primarily designed in the Tudor Revival style ornamented to portray a medieval English hall.

The architectural firm of Betts & Holcomb of Chicago designed the theater and the builder was T.S. Willis of Janesville, Wisconsin.

The theaters grand opening was held on Wright's birthday, May 28th, in 1927.

Iannelli's Catlow design includes the stenciling on the Catlow's ceiling, walls and beams along with the sculpted gargoyle-like heads that border each ceiling truss and the "Fountain Idyll" sculpture in the inner lobby.

Other highlights include three coat-of-arms wall murals, iron wall sconces, the detailed woodwork on both of the organ lofts and the original hand painted stage curtain.

In May of 1927, the Catlow Theater opened for business with "Slide, Kelly, Slide" as its first feature film. In those early days, Wright Catlow was also running vaudeville acts on Sunday nights.

The Catlow was named one of the ten best theaters in the United States by American Way magazine."