Osage Theater

The $50,000 Osage Theatre owned for about 30 years by Richard R. Biechele launched February 26, 1922 with “Sailor Made Man.” The theatre was 75x120 feet and housed 1,000 at opening. The Osage replaced a smaller theater that had fewer than 500 seats (explaining the seat count discrepancy). The theatre suffered a roof collapse in 1948 injuring patrons but reopened.During the 1951 flood that swept through the Armourdale district, the Osage was forced to close. With 1952 likely as the terminus of Biechele’s lease, he made no effort to reopen. The theatre was vacant until 1957 and was rezoned from G commercial to manufacturing first converted for a neon sign company and as of the 2010s, a boat servicing center.