Kelly's Westport Inn

Iconic Westport Irish bar operating since 1947 inside what is widely regarded as the oldest building in Kansas City (built c. 1850–1851 by the Ewing brothers and later run by Daniel Boone’s grandson Albert Gallatin Boone), still owned and run by the third-generation Kelly family and renowned for the city’s signature St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Description

Kelly’s Westport Inn is an Irish-style bar at 500 Westport Road in the Westport neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. It occupies a small brick building constructed around 1850–1851 by traders George and William Ewing as a provisions store for travelers heading west on the Santa Fe and Oregon trails — a structure widely described as one of the oldest, and frequently called the oldest, standing building in Kansas City. Albert Gallatin Boone, a grandson of frontiersman Daniel Boone, purchased the building in 1854 and operated it as an outfitting and provisioning business until 1859.

The site has operated continuously as a bar since 1947 and as Kelly’s Westport Inn since 1977. It is regarded as the most iconic Irish bar in Kansas City and is the anchor of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, which center on Westport.

The business remains open and family-operated as of May 2026.

Ownership and history

The building was raised c. 1850–1851 by the Ewing brothers and, after Albert Gallatin Boone’s outfitting era (1854–1859), housed a series of businesses; around 1900 the Wiedenmann family ran a grocery there catering to Kansas City’s elite. After the repeal of Prohibition the space served as a saloon, and in 1947 three retired Kansas City police captains opened it as the Westport Inn. They hired Randal Kelly — a bartender born in County Clare, Ireland — who became so popular that he eventually became a partner and the bar’s namesake.

Randal Kelly’s sons joined the business across the 1960s and early 1970s (Randy in 1966, Pat in 1969, Kyle in 1971). The bar was officially renamed Kelly’s Westport Inn in 1977, the same year Randy opened the affiliated Kelly’s Port marina at the Lake of the Ozarks. Randal Kelly died in 1988, leaving the Westport operation to sons Pat and Kyle. By the venue’s own account, third-generation family members — including Kyle’s children Colleen and Mitch — took over operations around 2012, making Kelly’s a multi-generation, family-owned bar.

The building received national historic recognition in the mid-20th century (the official history cites national historic landmark status in 1959; the National Trust and other sources note its standing as a historic Westport landmark).

Tier classification

Tier 1. Kelly’s is a textbook Tier 1 business: continuously owner-operated by the same KC family since the 1940s–1970s and now into a third generation, with the Kellys owning both the building and the business. Its rootedness in Westport, multi-generation family stewardship, and central role in a beloved KC tradition (St. Patrick’s Day) reflect exactly the pride-and-local-dedication that Tier 1 measures. [Editorial judgment per feedback_tier_flexibility.]

Links

• Website: https://kellyswestportinn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyswestportinn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Kellys-Westport-Inn-100063541811524/

See also

• westport
• westport-saloon-district
• midtown-kc
• Registry

Sources

1. Wikipedia — “Kelly’s Westport Inn” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly’s_Westport_Inn — accessed 2026-05-30
2. Kelly’s Westport Inn — official history page — https://kellyswestportinn.com/history — accessed 2026-05-30
3. National Trust for Historic Preservation — “Kelly’s Westport Inn in Kansas City, Missouri” — https://savingplaces.org/stories/kellys-westport-inn-in-kansas-city-missouri — accessed 2026-05-30
4. Kelly’s Westport Inn — “Traditions” — https://kellyswestportinn.com/traditions — accessed 2026-05-30
5. KSHB 41 — “Westport businesses benefit from decades of St. Patrick’s Day traditions” — https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/westport-businesses-benefit-from-decades-of-st-patricks-day-traditions — accessed 2026-05-30

Verification

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; 5 sources (independent: Wikipedia, official site, National Trust, KSHB). Confirmed: 1947 founding, 1977 rename, c.1850–1851 Ewing construction, Albert Gallatin Boone (Daniel Boone’s grandson) 1854–1859, multi-generation Kelly ownership, oldest-building-in-KC claim, and legendary St. Patrick’s Day reputation. Unverified: precise historic-landmark designation/date (sources conflict — flagged).