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Main Street Inn Bed & Breakfast – Where Art, History, and Vision Transform Hospitality in Sainte Geneviève

Step through the doors of the Main Street Inn Bed & Breakfast and you immediately understand that your time here will be a curate experience. Originally built in 1882 as the Meyer Hotel, this three-story brick landmark has welcomed travelers to Sainte Geneviève for more than 140 years. But following an extensive year-long renovation, proprietors Susan O’Donnell and Patrick Fahey transformed this historic property into something extraordinary: a bed and breakfast where world-class art, meticulous attention to preservation, and genuine hospitality create an experience that aligns with what you’d expect in Missouri’s oldest city.

The Main Street Inn stands as home, gallery and gathering place, historic structure and comfortable retreat. Here, you’re encourage to meander through the house and take inspiration in the work that went into its restoration and the nuance of its collection.  For those visitors that are looking to bring home fresh inspiration to their design sensibilities, this is the stay for you. This is lodging for people who appreciate art, value history, and seek accommodations with personality and purpose rather than generic hotel uniformity.

An Unexpected Gallery in Missouri’s Oldest Town

What distinguishes the Main Street Inn from countless other historic bed and breakfasts is Patrick’s curatorial vision manifested in the art collection displayed throughout the property’s public spaces. The main floor parlors function as an informal gallery showcasing works that span contemporary street art to New Regionalist landscapes, from internationally recognized names to emerging local talents.

Shepard Fairey needs little introduction—his Obama “Hope” poster became one of the 21st century’s most recognized images, and his street art aesthetic has influenced contemporary visual culture globally. Finding authentic Fairey work in a small-town Missouri bed and breakfast provides an elevated level of intrigue for people expecting a typical hotel experience. Patrick’s collection includes a piece of Fairey’s graphic power and political engagement.  It’s definitely a conversation starter.

Bryan Haynes, a Missouri native whose work has been described as leading the New Regionalism movement, brings the inn’s collection home to regional roots. Haynes transitioned from a successful commercial art career in Los Angeles—creating work for Disney, Warner Bros., IBM, Nike, and the Saturday Evening Post—to return to Missouri and focus on fine art that captures the landscape and history of his home state. His paintings often feature scenes from historic Sainte Geneviève and the surrounding county that features the idyllic beauty that’s unique to our region; a beauty that carried the original Regionalist movement and influenced the stylistic work of America’s Diego Rivera: Thomas Hart Benton.

Haynes brings Missouri’s layered history to life through canvases of Osage warriors, French colonists, and early settlers. Like Benton before him, Haynes is celebrated for his murals that grace the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Gateway Arch’s Museum of Westward Expansion, and the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City.

The Sainte Geneviève Art Guild’s Plein Air Festival contributions add another dimension to the collection. These works depict the Main Street Inn itself, painted on-site during this two-day outdoor event where artists have known to line up to capture the building’s Victorian architecture and the changing light across its brick facade. Seeing the building you’re staying in painted over and over creates a sort of meta experience—you’re not just occupying space.  You’re participating in the ongoing story of a place that has already been the central location for so many stories. The plein air tradition itself connects to a long tradition in American and French art.

Patrick hasn’t created a formal museum or anything requiring quiet reverence—the art lives naturally without demanding special attention and providing a sort of richness to your stay that hangs like a backdrop.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Garden Sprites

The art experience extends beyond the inn’s walls into the garden, where reproductions of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Garden Sprites create an architectural framework to the yard and it’s peaceful koi pond feature. Wright, primarily known for revolutionary architecture, also designed decorative objects, furniture, and sculptural elements that embodied his design philosophy. The Garden Sprites—originally designed for the Midway Gardens in Chicago in 1914—feature abstract, geometric forms that maintain the angular modernism characteristic of Wright’s work.

They create a nice dialogue between Wright’s early 20th-century modernism and the inn’s Victorian architecture, as well as Patrick’s prior life in Chicago and his newfound settlement. Like the Fairey piece on the first level of the home, it’s another unexpected addition to the experience that keeps you grounded to discovering what’s under the surface in Ste. Gen.  It’s a little nudge to keep you engaged with the destination, off your phone, and relishing the digital detoxification it offers. The garden is another curated space where Patrick’s vision shapes guest experience, while doing a lovely job of creating continuity extending the main floor gallery concept into the landscaping.

The Building: 1882 Meyer Hotel Restored

Behind the art collection stands a building worth celebration in its own right. Built in 1882 as the Meyer Hotel, the Main Street Inn represents Victorian-era hospitality architecture designed when Sainte Geneviève was an important Mississippi River town attracting travelers, merchants, and visitors. The three-story brick structure features the solid construction and architectural details characteristic of late 19th-century commercial buildings—tall windows that flood rooms with natural light, high ceilings that create spacious rooms, thick walls that provide quiet, and the craftsmanship in woodwork and fixtures that modern construction rarely replicates.

When Patrick and Susan acquired the property, they faced the decision all historic building owners confront: how to preserve character while updating for contemporary comfort and expectations. Their year-long renovation thread this needle successfully, maintaining original architectural features—fireplaces, woodwork, the building’s bones—while completely updating systems, bathrooms, and amenities. The result feels authentically historic without the mustiness or dysfunction that sometimes accompanies historic properties prioritizing preservation over livability.

Ten Distinctive Rooms

The inn offers ten guest rooms, each with its own character and design. This variety means couples can choose rooms matching their preferences—some brighter, some cozier, some larger, some more intimate. All rooms feature private bathrooms (a significant amenity in historic buildings where shared baths were once common), fine linens, comfortable seating areas, complimentary WiFi, eco-friendly toiletries, and those details that distinguish thoughtfully appointed rooms from basic accommodations.

Two ground-floor rooms with private side entries accommodate guests traveling with pets, recognizing that many people consider their dogs or cats family members they won’t leave behind. This pet-friendly option, relatively rare among upscale bed and breakfasts, broadens the inn’s appeal without compromising the experience for guests preferring pet-free environments—the side entries provide separation, and ground-floor location means pets aren’t climbing stairs or crossing through common areas.

The inn’s three-story configuration creates natural variety. Third-floor rooms offer views over Sainte Geneviève’s rooflines and tree canopy. Second-floor rooms balance accessibility and elevation. Ground-floor rooms provide ease of access and connection to the garden. Guests can choose based on mobility concerns, view preferences, or simply which room’s specific character appeals most.

The Front Porch: Sainte Geneviève’s Best People-Watching

Historic buildings often feature details that modern construction abandons for cost or changing habits. The Main Street Inn’s front porch is one such treasure—a generous, comfortable outdoor space overlooking North Main Street where guests can rock in chairs, sip morning coffee, read, or simply watch the town wake up and go about its day.

Small-town front porch sitting has become rare as air conditioning pulled people indoors and privacy fencing walled off yards. But the Main Street Inn’s porch preserves this older pattern of semi-public leisure where hotel guests and passersby acknowledge each other, where you’re part of the street scene rather than sealed away from it. On pleasant mornings or evenings, the porch becomes the inn’s social hub where guests congregate naturally, starting conversations that wouldn’t happen in separated rooms or at isolated tables.

The porch also provides perfect vantage for experiencing Sainte Geneviève’s historic district. You’re watching life unfold on streets that French colonists walked, seeing buildings that witnessed centuries of American history. The lamplit street creates evening ambiance that modern developments can’t replicate—the scale, the architecture, the patina of age all visible from comfortable rocking chairs.

Reading Nooks and Gathering Spaces

Inside, the inn’s public spaces reward guests who linger rather than treating the property as merely a place to sleep between activities. Multiple sitting areas throughout the main floor offer comfortable chairs, good light, and the kind of quiet that encourages actually opening a book rather than scrolling phones.

Patrick and Susan have furnished these spaces with a mix of period-appropriate pieces and comfortable seating that invites actual use. The fireplaces, though decorative now, anchor rooms and remind guests of when these spaces provided warmth and gathering points for hotel guests sharing stories. Bookshelves hold volumes guests can browse, creating that bed and breakfast tradition of shared libraries where you might discover unexpected reads.

The North Parlor hosts the inn’s evening wine reception—a daily 5:00 p.m. gathering where guests enjoy complimentary wine and cheese while meeting Patrick, Susan, innkeeper Jean Marie Rozier Sellberg, and fellow travelers. This casual occasion creates community among guests who might otherwise remain isolated in separate rooms. Conversations start organically—Where are you from? What brought you to Sainte Geneviève? Have you visited the historic houses yet?—and often continue over breakfast or result in guests coordinating their daily plans to visit wineries or attractions together.

Breakfast: Fresh, Local, and Made with Care

The Main Street Inn serves full breakfast daily from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., giving guests flexibility rather than forcing everyone to appear at a single seating. The menu varies but emphasizes dishes made from local ingredients featuring fresh flavors rather than heavy, institutional food.

Breakfast might include frittata with seasonal vegetables, avocado toast with tomato and feta, quality ham, fresh baked breads or pastries, yogurt and granola, and excellent coffee. This isn’t the sad continental breakfast of chain hotels—dry bagels, industrial muffins, watery coffee—but genuine cooking that honors ingredients and guests’ time.

The dining room, located on the main floor, provides communal space where guests gather around tables. Some mornings bring lively conversation as guests share their plans and swap recommendations. Other mornings maintain comfortable quiet as people ease into the day with food and coffee. The flexibility accommodates both social guests and those preferring peaceful starts.

For dietary restrictions or preferences, Patrick and the team accommodate requests with advance notice. Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or other needs can be addressed—this is a small inn where individual attention remains possible rather than a large operation requiring standardized service.

Patrick’s Vision: Investing in Sainte Geneviève’s Future

Understanding the Main Street Inn requires understanding Patrick Fahey’s broader commitment to Sainte Geneviève. Patrick, a physician who practiced in Chicago, didn’t simply purchase a bed and breakfast—he’s invested substantially in the town’s infrastructure and economic development, seeing potential in Sainte Geneviève that goes beyond surface-level tourism.

The Ste. Genevieve Antique Mall represents Patrick’s transformation of a long-vacant factory building into active commercial space. Rather than allowing the structure to decay or face demolition, Patrick renovated it to house an antique mall where multiple dealers showcase furniture, collectibles, vintage items, and treasures. This project accomplished several goals simultaneously: preserving an historic industrial building, creating retail space that draws antique hunters to town, providing income for dealers, and activating a property that had become deadweight.

Antique malls serve specific tourism functions. They’re destinations that keep visitors in town for hours as they browse booth after booth. They’re weather-independent activities perfect for rainy days or extreme temperatures. They appeal to demographics—baby boomers, Gen X collectors, vintage enthusiasts—who have disposable income and appreciate historic towns. And they’re businesses that thrive in areas with lower commercial rents than major cities, making small-town locations economically viable.

By creating the Ste. Genevieve Antique Mall, Patrick added another “thing to do” in a town whose tourism economy benefits from multiple attractions that encourage multi-day visits rather than quick stops.

The Ste. Genevieve RV Park addresses a specific need created by Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park’s establishment in 2020. When the National Park Service designates a new park, it triggers interest from the RV community—people who travel systematically visiting national parks and need convenient places to stay near park sites.

Sainte Geneviève lacked RV parking facilities adequate for this influx. Patrick recognized this gap and developed the RV park to serve national park enthusiasts who want to stay near the historic sites while enjoying the full hookups, amenities, and convenience that RV travelers require. This wasn’t just entrepreneurial opportunity-seeking—it was infrastructure development that benefits the entire town by accommodating visitors who might otherwise bypass Sainte Geneviève for destinations with better RV facilities.

The connection between the RV park and Main Street Inn includes a practical perk: guests staying at the inn receive free RV charging. This benefits travelers with electric vehicles by providing convenient charging while they tour the historic district, and it creates partnership between Patrick’s properties that serves guest needs.

A Physician’s Approach to Hospitality

Patrick’s medical background influences his approach to hospitality in subtle but significant ways. Physicians develop diagnostic thinking—assessing situations, identifying needs, and implementing solutions. They learn to attend to details while maintaining focus on overall outcomes. They understand that comfort, cleanliness, and care matter profoundly to people’s wellbeing and satisfaction.

These professional habits translate into the Main Street Inn’s operation. The renovation wasn’t superficial cosmetic updates but thorough systems upgrades ensuring the building functions properly. The art collection isn’t random acquisition but curated selection creating cohesive experience. The guest rooms receive fragrance-free treatment accommodating sensitivities. The breakfast emphasizes fresh, quality ingredients rather than processed convenience foods.

Guests familiar with healthcare’s patient-centered care model recognize similar thinking in Patrick’s hospitality approach—anticipating needs, providing clear information, creating environments that reduce stress rather than adding it, and maintaining standards that consistently deliver quality outcomes.

Location: Heart of the Historic District

The Main Street Inn occupies prime real estate at 221 North Main Street, positioned perfectly for exploring Sainte Geneviève on foot. You’re within easy walking distance of:

• The Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park Welcome Center and historic houses
• Downtown restaurants, cafés, and shops
• Art galleries and the antique mall
• Historic churches and cemeteries
• The Mississippi River waterfront

This location means you can park your car upon arrival and largely forget about it until departure. Walking Missouri’s oldest town provides the proper pace for noticing architectural details, reading historical markers, ducking into shops, and experiencing the district as connected whole rather than isolated stops between driving.

The neighborhood maintains residential character even along Main Street’s commercial corridor. You’re not staying in a purely tourist zone but in a living community where locals still occupy historic houses, where you might hear the Catholic church bells marking hours as they have for centuries, where the rhythms of small-town life continue around you.

Practical Information

Address: 221 North Main Street, Sainte Geneviève, MO 63670

Contact: (573) 880-7500 | pfahey@rmlsh.org

Website: mainstrinn.com

Rates: Contact the inn directly for current pricing and availability

Rooms: 10 distinctive rooms, all with private baths, WiFi, fine linens, and individual character. Two pet-friendly rooms available with private side entries.

Breakfast: Full breakfast served daily 8:00-10:00 a.m. using fresh, local ingredients. Accommodates dietary restrictions with advance notice.

Wine Reception: Complimentary wine and cheese served daily at 5:00 p.m. in the North Parlor

Parking: On-site parking available. Guests receive free electric vehicle charging at the Ste. Genevieve RV Park.

Check-in/Check-out: Contact inn for specific times

Accessibility: The historic building features stairs to upper floors. Ground-floor rooms available.

Pet Policy: Two designated pet-friendly rooms on the ground floor with private side entries

Nearby: Walking distance to all historic district attractions, restaurants, shops, and Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park sites

What Makes the Main Street Inn Different

In a region with numerous bed and breakfast options, the Main Street Inn distinguishes itself through:

The Art Collection: No other area accommodation offers the caliber and curation of art displayed here. This alone attracts guests who value visual culture and appreciate lodging that treats them as people with aesthetic interests beyond basic shelter.

Owner Investment in Community: Patrick’s multiple Sainte Geneviève projects demonstrate commitment beyond single-property profit seeking. Guests staying at the Main Street Inn directly support someone working to preserve buildings, create infrastructure, and strengthen the town’s economy.

Thoughtful Restoration: The year-long renovation wasn’t rushed or superficial. The building received comprehensive updates while preserving historic character—the best of both worlds for guests seeking authentic experience without sacrificing comfort.

Professional Operation: Despite intimate scale, the inn operates with standards and systems that ensure consistency. Rooms are impeccably clean. Breakfast is reliably good. Questions receive prompt answers. This isn’t charming-but-chaotic amateur operation—it’s professional hospitality.

Genuine Welcome: Patrick, Susan, and innkeeper Jean Marie create atmosphere where guests feel welcomed rather than processed. The wine reception, the breakfast conversations, the willingness to share recommendations and stories—these aren’t scripted customer service but authentic hospitality.

Who the Main Street Inn Serves Best

While the inn welcomes all guests, certain travelers particularly appreciate what it offers:

Art Enthusiasts: Collectors, gallery-goers, museum visitors, and anyone who lights up seeing a Shepard Fairey or Bryan Haynes work in unexpected settings will love discovering the collection while staying here.

National Park Travelers: RV travelers and others systematically visiting national park sites will appreciate the inn’s proximity to Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park and the RV charging perk. Patrick understands park enthusiasts because he’s created infrastructure specifically serving them.

History Buffs: Guests fascinated by French colonial America, Victorian architecture, or regional history will appreciate staying in an 1882 building in the heart of Missouri’s oldest town, surrounded by structures and stories spanning centuries.

Couples Seeking Romance: The inn’s front porch, quiet reading nooks, wine receptions, and comfortable rooms create natural opportunities for connection. This isn’t a family resort with kids running everywhere—it’s adult-focused accommodation ideal for anniversaries, babymoons, or relationship renewal getaways.

Antique Hunters: With Patrick’s antique mall nearby and the inn itself filled with period furnishings and art, guests who treasure vintage finds and historic objects will feel right at home.

Travelers Who Value Quality: People who notice thread count, appreciate good coffee, care about art, and expect accommodations to reflect thought and investment rather than cutting corners will recognize the Main Street Inn as exceptional value.

Pet Owners: The two pet-friendly rooms with private entries allow travelers with dogs to include their companions without compromising other guests’ experiences—a surprisingly rare accommodation option among quality B&Bs.

A Stay That Connects You to Place

The Main Street Inn’s greatest achievement might be how thoroughly it connects guests to Sainte Geneviève specifically rather than providing generic historic lodging that could exist anywhere. The Bryan Haynes paintings showing Missouri landscapes, the plein air works depicting the inn itself, Patrick’s multiple local investments, the breakfast featuring regional ingredients, the building’s 140-year history serving travelers—everything roots your stay in this particular place.

You’re not just visiting Missouri’s oldest town—you’re staying in a building that’s been hosting visitors since the Victorian era, sleeping in rooms where countless travelers have rested, eating breakfast in spaces where hotel guests gathered for over a century, and supporting an owner who’s betting on Sainte Geneviève’s future through multiple substantial investments.

This rootedness in place makes the experience meaningful in ways that chain hotels or corporate properties can’t replicate. You’re participating in ongoing story rather than just occupying space temporarily.

Booking Your Stay

The Main Street Inn accepts reservations by phone or email. Given the property’s popularity, its ten-room capacity, and Sainte Geneviève’s growing recognition as a destination, booking well in advance is advisable—particularly for weekends, festival dates, and fall foliage season when the region’s countryside displays spectacular color.

When making reservations, mention specific preferences: quiet room preferences, pet accommodation needs, dietary restrictions for breakfast, or particular arrival times. The inn’s small scale allows genuine personalization impossible at larger properties.

Come Experience the Difference

The three-story brick building at 221 North Main Street has stood since 1882, welcoming travelers through multiple generations. But under Patrick and Susan’s stewardship, the Main Street Inn has become something more than just historic accommodation—it’s become a gallery showcasing significant art, a gathering place where guests form community, a professionally operated hospitality establishment that honors both history and contemporary comfort, and a tangible expression of one person’s vision for what Sainte Geneviève can become.

Step onto the front porch and settle into a rocking chair. The historic district spreads before you—French colonial architecture, Victorian storefronts, tree-lined streets, and a town whose 275-year story continues unfolding. Inside, Shepard Fairey and Bryan Haynes await your attention. The garden’s Frank Lloyd Wright sprites stand among the plantings. The comfortable rooms promise genuine rest. Breakfast will feature fresh ingredients and good coffee. The evening wine reception will introduce you to fellow travelers and the people making this inn work.

Whether you’re exploring Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park, touring area wineries, hunting antiques, photographing historic architecture, or simply escaping the demands of daily life, the Main Street Inn provides more than a place to sleep—it offers connection to art, history, community, and the vision of people working to preserve and strengthen Missouri’s oldest town.

History lives here. Art adorns the walls. Hospitality welcomes you. And Patrick’s commitment to Sainte Geneviève manifests in every carefully restored detail.

Book your room. Pack your bags. Come discover what the Main Street Inn creates when historic building, world-class art, thoughtful restoration, and genuine welcome converge in the heart of Sainte Geneviève.