Catlow Theatre | |
 | |
| Location | Barrington, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°9′15.82″N88°8′11.51″W / 42.1543944°N 88.1365306°W |
| Architect | Betts & Holcomb, Alfonso Iannelli |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001112 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 21, 1989 |
The Catlow Theater is a historic single-screen movie theater located in downtown Barrington, Illinois, United States.
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. [2]
Betts & Holcomb served as the architects and the interiors were designed by Prairie School sculptor and designer Alfonso Iannelli. 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. 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. [2]
Catlow's brother Chester played the theater organ. The theater originally showed silent films and featured vaudeville performances on Sundays. These performances attracted talent such as Gene Autry and Sally Rand. In 1934, the theater began to show only movies. Catlow sold the theater to film booker Ed Skehan in 1964. [2] On August 21, 1989, the theater was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. [1]
The Catlow Theater was purchased by long-time Barrington residents Brian and Julianne Long in the fall of 2023. [3]
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-suburban setting.
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An atmospheric theatre is a type of movie palace design which was popular in the late 1920s. Atmospheric theatres were designed and decorated to evoke the feeling of a particular time and place for patrons, through the use of projectors, architectural elements and ornamentation that evoked a sense of being outdoors. This was intended to make the patron a more active participant in the setting.
The Pickwick Theatre is an art deco movie palace located in Park Ridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Alfonso Iannelli was an Italian-American sculptor, artist, and industrial designer.
The Virginia Theatre is a live performance and movie theatre in downtown Champaign, Illinois. It has been providing theatrical and cinematic entertainment to the Champaign-Urbana community since its doors opened in 1921. Each year, the Virginia Theatre is host to movies from film reels, plays from various acting troupes, concerts, and Ebertfest, presented by the UIUC College of Media. It is currently owned by the Champaign Park District.
The Riverside Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, also known as Tulsa Spotlight Theater, was built in 1928. It was designed by architect Bruce Goff in International Style. It was built as a house with a studio wing for a music teacher named Patti Adams Shriner. The Riverside Studio was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2001 under Criterion C.
The State Theatre is a Spanish-styled atmospheric theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan, designed by renowned architect John Eberson. The State was built for W.S. Butterfield Theatres in 1927, and remains in operation today, presenting live shows. The theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
