Catlow Theater - Barrington, IL
N 42° 09.266 W 088° 08.216
16T E 406069 N 4667548
The Catlow Theater was built in 1927 and still shows movies to the people in Barrington, IL.
Waymark Code: WM2HV3
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 11/07/2007
Views: 44
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."