Traveling Thursdays: The West Baden Springs Hotel, Pt. 3

Thanks to Preservationists Bill & Gayle Cook and Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, the West Baden Springs Hotel was saved at the 11th hour. Restoration began in 1996, with the first emotional high point being the lighting of the arch, which had been dim almost 60 years. The town of West Baden gathered for this symbolic ceremony that signaled the rebirth of not only the hotel, but the town of West Baden, Indiana as well.



Although this was a wonderful sight, it was only the beginning.



On October 24, 1998, culminating the first part of the restoration, the Moroccan Towers (which had been removed at some point during the Jesuit period) were replicated and placed back on top of the hotel thanks to Hurricane Bubba, an Erickson air crane helicopter that had been used to remove and replace the statue on top of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The pilots for this project were Max Evans from Columbus, Ohio, and David Cox from Westerville, Ohio.



Each tower had to be airlifted to the top of a seven-story pillar. Because of the size and weight of the towers, each lift was done in two parts. The tower bases were first placed atop the pillars. Workers, who stood on the pillars as the helicopter lowered the tower bases to them, guided the bases and then chained, welded, and bolted them into place. Once the bases were secured, the red-roofed tower domes were airlifted into place and secured. It was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen.



I still remember running around the property like a crazy person attempting to capture this once-in-a-lifetime show.



Even LIFE Magazine was there to cover the event.



Flash forward to 2007, I traveled back to West Baden to attend the grand gala that celebrated the re-opening of the Hotel.



The atrium was just as impressive, and I made sure to get a room that gave me a great view of its breathtaking beauty.



Be sure to scroll all the way to right to get an idea of the size of the atrium in this photo that I "stitched" together in Photoshop:



John Mellencamp and his (then) wife Elaine Irwin were on hand for the event.



The light fixture at the top of the atrium changed colors throughout the evening.



The Dining Room was a far cry from the decrepit mess it had been when I first saw it a decade before.



Finally, the Muse seemed happy!



If you want to stay at this amazing resort, visit the West Baden Springs Hotel website.

See more vintage & current West Baden Springs Hotel photos on my WBSH web page.

One Day Digression: West Baden Springs Hotel

I am doing a one-day non-Disneyland entry about one of my OTHER favorite places in the world: The West Baden Springs Hotel in West Baden, Indiana. I used to live in Indiana for about 17 years; usually when I mention that to other Sunny California inhabitants, I get a “17 years? What is there to do in Indiana?!?” Plenty. And this is one of those rare, undiscovered gems that is starting to get a little recognition after 70 years of decay and ruin. Built in 1902 and dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the hotel was swarmed with guests who traveled here by train to be cured from their ailments with the local sulfur water and do a little gambling while recovering. It was an opulent palace with hand laid italian marble, a firewood made of Rookwood Pottery, 2 golf courses, an opera hourse, its own hospital, spa area, a Catholic Church, movie theater, horseback riding, baseball park (frequented by Major League teams for Spring Training), and much more. It was the Disneyland of its day. Killed by the Depression and Stock Market Crash of 1929, for the last 70+ years it languished and went through a series of owners who tried to maintain it but failed. Finally, at the 11th Hour, after entire walls caved in and the hotel was close to being bulldozed, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana and entrepreneurs Bill & Gayle Cook stepped in to save this Historic Gem. The Cooks have donated countless hours and dollars (the hotel itself has cost well over $100 million in restoration) to bring the West Baden Springs Hotel back to the glory that it new at the beginning of the century. I HIGHLY recommend that you visit here now that it is open again for business. It’s not easy to get to, but neither is Macinac or The Greenbriar. All are destinations worth the journey. Photo 1 shows the amazing Atrium, with a freespan dome rivaled only by the Houston Astrodome in size. Please be sure to scroll all the way to the right; this is a very wide panorama shot that I pieced together from 3 exposures. Photo 2 is the awe-inspiring ceiling of this area.



The Dining Room:

Rookwood Pottery Fireplace:

The Exterior:

The Sunken Gardens:

For more photos of the amazing West Baden Springs Hotel, visit my regular website. If you are interested in booking a trip there, here is their website.