An Artistic retreat in the heart of downtown Galena

In 1983, Artist Charles Fach and his wife Sandy made Galena their home and studio location. At that time they created Abe's Spring Street Inn and have been hosting it ever since. They've recently added a private studio apartment and called it Emma's corner after their spunky canine Emma. Charles is an accomplished artist who's works include pottery, metalwork, woodwork and painting. You may see him below, working in his Artists Annex.

Charles and Sandy purchased the stone house and studio because of their affinity for the historic charm and unique beauty of Galena.

Built in 1876, Abe’s Spring Street Stone house was once an icehouse for a prominent Galena brewery. The icehouse once stored up to 800 tons of ice harvested from the Galena River for the brewery industry. The building has 27-inch thick walls, which in its time was a great insulating factor. Next door to the icehouse is the Artist Annex, built in 2001, on the footprint of a once 3-story stone building originally built in 1850 as City Brewery. Two vaulted stone rooms are still intact to this day and reside in the back on the ground floor. The Artist Annex is home to 3 of our private suites, PJ's Roost, Oreo's Hide-A-Way, and Emma's Corner.