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Kelly's Westport Inn is a historical bar in Westport, Kansas City, Missouri, constructed around 1850. Kelly's and the adjoining Chouteau Store are considered to be the oldest buildings still standing in Kansas City.
Kelly's Westport Inn | |
 | |
| Location | 500–504 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°3′8.96″N 94°35′29.02″W / 39.0524889°N 94.5913944°W |
| Built | 1850 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000718[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 7, 1972 |
History
editThe grandson of Daniel Boone, Albert Gallatin Boone,[2] operated a grocery store. A story about the Underground Railroad alleges that a southbound tunnel connects to a stable[3] which is now also a bar called the Westport Saloon.
Around 1900, the Wiedenmann family operated a grocery there, which catered to Kansas City's elite. With the repeal of Prohibition, Phil Taggart rented the building and opened a saloon named the Wrestlers Inn.[citation needed] A few years later, Randal Kelly, born in County Clare, Ireland, became a bartender. He soon became a partner.
In 1959, the building was designated a national historic landmark.
In 1969, Kelly's Inn was registered as a historic building. The tunnel only connects two basements and there was no Underground Railroad association.[4]: 22
In 1996, Kansas City native Eddie Griffin used Kelly's as the inspiration for the setting of his sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, starring himself and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.