The Catlow Theater is a historic single-screen movie theater located in downtown

Barrington, Illinois Barrington is a village in Cook County and Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,722 at the 2020 census. A northwest suburb of Chicago, the area features wetlands, forest preserves, parks, and horse trails in a country-s ...

, United States.

History

Wright Catlow was a businessman in Barrington whose father had commissioned The Auditorium in 1914, a gathering place for dances and community meetings. Seeking to follow his father's legacy and build a community building, Catlow commissioned the theater in May 1927. Betts & Holcomb served as the architects and the interiors were designed by

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

sculptor and designer

Alfonso Iannelli Alfonso Iannelli (February 17, 1888 – March 23, 1965) was an Italian-American sculptor, artist, and industrial designer. Based in Chicago for most of his life, Iannelli was born in Andretta, Italy on February 17, 1888. He came to America in 1 ...

. The theater was primarily designed in the Tudor Revival style ornamented to portray a medieval English hall. In large part due to Iannelli's involvement, the Catlow is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. 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. Catlow's brother Chester played the theater organ. The theater originally showed

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s and featured vaudeville performances on Sundays. These performances attracted talent such as

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

and Sally Rand. In 1934, the theater began to show only movies. Catlow sold the theater to film booker Ed Skehan in 1964. On August 21, 1989, the theater was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

with a listing on the

References

External links

{{commonscat, Catlow Theater (Barrington, Illinois)
Official Catlow Theater website
Cinemas and movie theaters in Chicago National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Barrington, Illinois 1927 establishments in Illinois Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois