The Catlow Arts Center — better known as the Catlow Theater — in Barrington has plans to turn into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, according to its owner, Tim O’Connor. The theater has been closed since early 2020.
The owner of the Catlow Theater in Barrington said he’s in the final stages of turning the historic venue into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the goal of doing a complete rebuild and turning it into an entertainment center.
The Catlow, which dates back to 1927, has been closed since early 2020. The nonprofit Catlow Arts Center was incorporated in the state of Illinois in December 2019; the venue’s website and Facebook page have the name Catlow Arts Center.
Obtaining federal nonprofit status will allow the venue to access grants and more funding to host live music and other events in addition to movies, Catlow owner Tim O’Connor said.
The plan includes work on the interior, “from the subbasement up to the roof,” and the exterior for a yet-to-be determined cost, he said.
“Once we get our nonprofit status approved, we will see what we can do and how quickly we can do it. We want to open as soon as physically possible and we want to be sure that, once we reopen, we stay open to serve the community,” he said Monday.
Meanwhile, the Parker Players, a local theater group, say they were blindsided by O’Connor’s decision in early February to not move forward with an agreement to make the Catlow their new home. The building that housed Parker Playhouse was purchased in June 2019 by the state of Illinois as part of a project to build an underpass at Route 14.
Read more here.
Leave a Reply