Between the pandemic and the convenience of streaming services, people just aren’t going to the movies anymore. Back in the day one could find an old movie palace on the main street of nearly every commuter suburb. The theaters were built to last and served as important gathering places for the local community. Now they are literally becoming a thing of the past. Obviously these relics have been struggling for awhile with a number of them torn down for new development, like the DuPage Theatre (1928) in Lombard in 2007 and the Highland Park Theatre (1925) in 2018. Even the recently shuttered Liberty Theater (1937) in Libertyville, where a young Marlon Brando worked as an usher, might soon be demolished. And then there’s the fate of the Catlow. Will it find a new purpose?
Barrington's Catlow Theater
Barrington's Catlow Theater
Barrington's Catlow Theater
Between the pandemic and the convenience of streaming services, people just aren’t going to the movies anymore. Back in the day one could find an old movie palace on the main street of nearly every commuter suburb. The theaters were built to last and served as important gathering places for the local community. Now they are literally becoming a thing of the past. Obviously these relics have been struggling for awhile with a number of them torn down for new development, like the DuPage Theatre (1928) in Lombard in 2007 and the Highland Park Theatre (1925) in 2018. Even the recently shuttered Liberty Theater (1937) in Libertyville, where a young Marlon Brando worked as an usher, might soon be demolished. And then there’s the fate of the Catlow. Will it find a new purpose?