Blair Theatre
104 E. Main Street,
Osborne,
KS
67473
104 E. Main Street,
Osborne,
KS
67473
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Styles: French Renaissance
Previous Names: Crystal Theatre, Delharco Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Crystal Theatre first opened in 1908. It had several locations before settling into a large brick building on the northeast corner of 1st Street and E. Main Street in 1920. In the late-1920’s it was operating as the Delharco Theatre. In March 1929 William ‘Bill’ Blair purchased the Crystal Theatre and he renamed it Blair Theatre. It screened its first sound film in April 1929. It was a cultural center of the community for many years. My mother and father attended movies there and as a child I attended movies there. It was a beautiful structure with a balcony area.
The Blair Theatre was closed in 1969 and it was demolished in 2001. The last movie I recall seeing there was "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", with Charles Laughton & Maureen O'Hara.
Contributed by
Terry Valliant
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Boy,Terry that was a long time ago.
THE HUNCHBACK OF NORTE DAME with Maureen O'Hare came out in 1939! Course it could have been a re-release?
Open ~1930-~1955? Can anyone verify the exact dates?
Owned by Blair Theater Enterprises 1930-1935.
Need an address, more info and photos.
I know it was open in 1956 because I saw “The Rose Tattoo” there when I was 8. My mom and dad saw movies there before I was born and after while they lived there. I know I saw movies there in the summer time when I stayed with my Aunt Maude and Uncle Charlie when I was older. I’m sorry that it had to be demolished. I hate it when beautiful old buildings are torn down.
I grew up going to movies at he Blair in Osborne. I was born in 61 and it must have been showing movies up until the early 70’s I would say. Anyone have any pics of it?
This item from the July 1, 1922 issue of Motion Picture News mentions the Crystal Theatre as well as another Osborne house: “John Ritter of the Pastime theatre, Tipton, Kas., and Joseph Buck purchased the Crystal theatre at Osborne, Kas. The Novelty theatre at Osborne, owned by Mr. Buck, will be closed for the summer.”
It looks like this theater also has a missing aka that never made it into the FDY. This item is from the April 6, 1929 Motion Picture News: “The Delharco, Osborne, Kas., has been purchased by Sam Blair of Belleville, Kas., from D. F. Harris.” I don’t think this was a different theater. Delmar Harris later owned at least two other houses he called the Delharco, in Salina and Concordia, Kansas. He probably didn’t own the Crystal for very long.
Sam Blair, who bought the house from Harris, was William Blair’s father. The 1938 FDY lists the Blair Theatre Enterprises Co. of Belleville, with Sam Blair as President and William H. Blair as Managing Director. The chain then operated four Kansas houses, all called the Blair. They were in Belleville, Osborne, Mankato and Smith Center.
William Blair died quite young, two days short of his forty-first birthday, on August 18, 1948. His widow, Mildred, operated the theater for some time after his death, but moved to Lawrence, Kansas in 1959, according to her 2006 obituary. It may have been a later owner of the Blair Theatre who placed this advertisement that appeared in the “Theaters for Sale” column of Boxoffice of April 1, 1963: “Drive-In and Indoor. Osborne, Kansas. For sale, both $41,000. Terms: lease with option to buy. 300-car drive-in complete, 700-seat, both ‘Scope. County seat town with large trade area. Manager now postmaster and must refrain from business. Boxoffice 9663.”