Crystal Theater
202 W. Main Street,
Osborne,
KS
67473
202 W. Main Street,
Osborne,
KS
67473
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This was an early location of the Crystal Theater, which apparently moved around a few times after opening in 1908. As this location appears on the 1912 map, it may not have been the first location. The 1905 map shows a doctor’s office here.
The building is a wonderful corner block with an ornate facade of local limestone. The corner portion was built in 1885, and this side of the structure was apparently built the following year, although the two portions appear to be seamlessly united.
The building is one of very few historic structures in the dwindling downtown that has not been demolished or badly remodeled. It is in excellent shape, and the entire building is used by a law firm.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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The February 24, 1917 Moving Picture World said that C. G. Neiswanger planned to build a 500-seat airdome to operate in conjunction with his Crystal Theatre at Osborne, Kansas. In October of that year, Mr. Neiswanger was submitting capsule movie reviews to MPW’s rival trade journal, Motogrpahy. A thumbnail biography of Mr. Neiswanger reveals that it was he who had the new Crystal Theatre built in 1920.
A July 1, 1922 Motion Picture News about the sale of the new Crystal Theatre said that one of the buyers was Joseph Buck, owner of the Novelty Theatre in Osborne, which he was planning to close for the summer. The Novelty isn’t listed in the 1926 or later FDYs, so it probably closed permanently before then. It might be that the Novelty was a new name for the old Crystal, after it moved in 1920.
The later maps for Osborne can’t be viewed online, so I have no idea how long this operated. It would have been a very small theater, and likely only on the ground floor, so I assume it closed before 1920. There was a Cunningham Auditorium next door (now gone). It was much larger, and would have been a better theater location. The building was still there around 1940, at least.
A paragraph about Cunningham Auditorium is found way down this web page. There is also a photo. It was quit a handsome building of rusticated stone. The text says it was built in 1904 and was often used for basketball games and roller skating in it’s early days, and it later became an armory and was used as a garage. It must have had a flat floor, so would not have been ideal for a movie house. It was destroyed when its roof collapsed from a heavy snowfall in the late 1950s or early 1960s.