Recently on the French Lick Resort X/Twitter account, they posted some photos from the ice cream social/arch lighting ceremony at the West Baden Springs Hotel, which occurred thirty years ago on July 12, 1996. Yours truly was there. Above is a photo of the Hotel’s arch after its 1902 installation. The name “Carlsbad of America” was in reference to the hotel’s mineral waters which had guests flocking by train to experience their magical healing powers. The water that bubbled from those sulfur springs smelled like rotten eggs, but no less…the guests came. Below is how the arch looked in 2005, after Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana (HLFI, now simply Indiana Landmarks) and Cook, Incorporated began restoring the hotel. The little sprite in the center disk was named Sprudel, and he acted as the hotel’s mascot. The bottled mineral water that was sold here and sold all over was called Sprudel water. Yes…it was nasty.
Below is how the arch looked in 1995, when I first stumbled upon this incredible property. The Sprudel logo was gone from the center disk and as you can see, the entrance was in dire need of a makeover.
In 1996, Cook and HLFI joined forces to restore the West Baden Springs Hotel back to its former glory. While the Hotel itself was in much worse shape, it was decided to focus efforts on the entrance arch, to let the world know that this architectural wonder was coming back to life.
The building at the right of the arch is the original Hotel’s bank:
It had been decades since the electric lights had worked on the arch, so to honor the occasion, the Cooks held an ice cream social to commemorate the occasion. The townspeople flocked to it, and not just for the ice cream.
For years, the Hotel had served as the economic and social hub of the area. It had transitioned into a Jesuit college in 1934, and then was retitled Northwood Institute from 1968-1983, serving as a private coed college. After that, a number of failed attempts to convert the property back into a thriving hotel failed, so until HLFI and Cook took over in 1996, the place had literally crumbled into ruins.
The arch had been cleaned, rewired, and given a fresh coat of paint for the ceremony. Sprudel was not returned yet. He was still being worked on.
Below right is Jeff Lane, a local from nearby French Lick who was one of the main volunteers during the restoration efforts. He is still in the area, and pretty much serves as the Hotel’s most knowledgable historian.
As the sun began to set, the crowds increased. To say that the community was excited about the return of the Hotel would be a gross understatement.
Although I was a volunteer (giving tours of the property EVERY weekend), I wore my street clothes for the event. Sean and Christy were two of my closest friends at the time; each weekend we met at the hotel before the tour program started, we would run amok on the property, checking out the progress of the construction crews from the previous week. The cute gal in yellow was Esther, a local, who recalled the Hotel when it was open and had many wonderful memories of it. Getting to meet people like Esther made the volunteering a sheer joy, listening to these aged residents recall a different and grander time when this Hotel gave the little town of West Baden so much vitality.
Steve Ferguson, who worked for Cook Group, was heavily involved in the restoration process. Before the arch was lit, he gave a little speech. Sorry, but the flash on my little film camera at the time could only do so much!
And then the magical moment when the power was turned on and the arches looked magical once more.
My friend Pam from Bloomington accompanied me to this festive event.
Norma Brock was a French Lick local; her father ran the Elite Club, a nearby Casino. She was also full of great stories about the gambling establishments that once dotted the area as well as the West Baden Springs Hotel itself. She was a feisty character and I adored her. She used to love to say that the bugs loved her silver hair!
A few more images of the arches:
Sure beats another set of golden arches you might be familiar with.
The last time I visited the Hotel was in 2012; it still looked magnificent.
I had the distinction of volunteering more hours than any of the other tour guides. It was a gift of service that replenished me and brought me a wealth of treasured memories. Here I am in action on New Year’s Day, 1998. I was a bit hungover, so the Ray-Bans were a necessity.
I designed a few photo sheets, to give my groups an idea of what the place once looked like. That’s right - only with D-Tours!
As a thank you for my volunteer efforts as a tour guide, I was given this commemorative brick, which was once part of the property.
See more West Baden Springs Hotel photos at my main website.
