The Star Block

05/25/2026

Now accepting bookings for our five short-stay suites at the 1883 Guesthouse! Just go to www.1883guesthouse.com and book there.

We're not on Airbnb yet because we're not totally done with construction, so locals and other followers of our project get the first shot at booking dates. Also, to make sure we're giving ourselves plenty of construction buffer time, you can't book stays that begin before Aug. 14 yet. But we've had a lot of people ask if they could book yet, so here we go!

Five short-stay lodging suites in a renovated 1883 building Osage City, Kansas, offering modern comforts and historic charm.

05/24/2026

Don't look now, but four new businesses are set to open just on our side of the block in the next few months! We began this project hoping to help kick off a revitalization of downtown Osage City, and this is how it starts. How well it goes from here depends in large part on all of you.

So be sure to check out Horn & Ivory Books (opening in a week or so at 522 Market St.), the Tallgrass Beauty Co. hair salon (opening next month at 512 Market St.), Forty Barrels Coffee + Kitchen (opening this summer at 520 Market St.), and The 1883 Guesthouse (opening this summer at 522A-E Market St.).

These businesses will create about 30 jobs, fill three vacant storefronts in our downtown, and provide our community exciting new shopping and services that either don't exist now or are in short supply.

Meanwhile, other businesses on our block have been working hard to improve downtown, especially Osage Hardware and its beautiful garden area, and KB’s SpecialTees with all the improvements they're done to their building. Let's keep it going!

05/13/2026

Coming (very) soon to the Star Block... Give 'em a follow to see more of what's coming!

05/10/2026

Making major progress throughout the building! We've completed the space for Horn & Ivory Books, which is now moving in. Tile is going in the bathrooms. The floors are polished up for The 1883 Guesthouse. And the space for Forty Barrels Coffee + Kitchen is getting painted.

04/21/2026

Refinishing the old apartment floors!

04/10/2026

Get your first sneak peek at the Star Block on Saturday as one of our new businesses, Horn & Ivory Books, opens a pop-up for the day! 8 to 5, during Smoke in the Spring and the car show. Come out and get a new local business off to a strong start!

04/07/2026

Introducing... The 1883 Guesthouse! Five gorgeous, fully renovated apartments at the Star Block offering short-stay visitors in downtown Osage City modern comforts and historic charm.

The name comes from the year the Star Block was built, and the building's history will be wrapped into every stay. Each of the five fully renovated suites will be themed after businesses from the building's past:

• The Vaudeville Suite: A two-bedroom, two-bath that sleeps up to six. Inspired by the Cozy Theatre, which screened silent films and brought in Vaudeville acts in the early 20th century.
• The Apothecary Suite: An extra-spacious one-bedroom, one-bath that sleeps up to four. Inspired by the array of apothecaries and druggists that once called the building home.
• The Publisher's Suite: A one-bedroom, one-bath that sleeps up to four. Inspired by the three newspapers that collectively occupied the building for decades.
• The Confectionary Suite: A one-bedroom, one-bath that sleeps up to six. Inspired the sweet shoppe and various eateries in the building's history.
• The Merchant's Suite: A fully ADA-accessible one-bedroom, one-bath that sleeps up to four. Inspired by the dry goods, five-and-dime and assorted other stores dotting the building's past.

Opening this summer!

03/29/2026

Another plus to this job: You get to work in a beautifully restored building!

03/14/2026

We're excited to announce we won a Kansas Attraction Development Grant to help put the finishing touches on our project! Our project aims to attract more people to the Flint Hills Trail (right out back) by providing a great place to stay and grab a bite and a drink.

03/10/2026

Robert Potter, our neighbor a few doors down at Potter's Barber Shop at 512 Market St., will close up shop this Thursday after 66 years (!!!). His shop has been an Osage City mainstay for longer than most people can remember, and we're wishing him all the best in a much-deserved retirement.

We're also looking for someone new to rent the space -- ideally a barber or beauty salon, since it's already set up that way -- but it's been well cared for and could also make a great office or boutique. Know anyone who might be interested? Please let us know!