Back Home Again In Indiana: West Baden Springs Hotel, Pt. 2

In part two of my West Baden Springs Hotel series, you will see the inside of this magnificent structure. The lobby area has a lovely little sitting area for guests waiting to check in or those who just want to relax before heading out for a game of golf, a tour, or a leisurely stroll through the grounds.

The check-in desk for the lobby is in the same location that it was back in 1902 when the hotel first opened.



The second story above the lobby also has a few sitting areas, which back in the day, were the perfect place to pen a few postcards to loved ones back home.



A postcard like this, perhaps:



Here is the view that literally made my jaw drop, and made me a permanent admirer of this architectural wonder. Walking into the atrium and looking up at the domed ceiling is something that words (or photos) cannot convey.



At night, the lighting makes this spectacular sight even more impressive.



The light fixture at the top of the dome changes colors on a regular basis.





The fireplace in the atrium is made out of Rookwood Pottery:



It includes a detail of Sprudel, the gnome who served as the hotel's mascot. He is sitting on top of one of the springs that promised good health for those who partook of its healing waters.



One of the four muses is represented here in this original statue that still presides over the atrium:



The Bacchus light fixtures originally had Tiffany-style lampshades and can be found surrounding the marbled perimeter of the hotel:



My room was no less impressive. Spacious and tastefully decorated, it felt elegant yet still comfortable.



The nightstand included an inlay detail of the hotel:





It wouldn't be a Daveland blog post without a bathroom shot:



The best part of the room was the balcony view of the atrium:



Feast your eyes on this panoramic view:



The Hotel's Dining Room, called Sinclair's (after the original owner of the hotel), provided a positively memorable experience:





A lovely table setting



I am a huge swordfish fan, and the hotel's blackened preparation definitely hit the mark. It was one of the best pieces of swordfish I have ever had.



I am still reeling from the delicious chocolate domed dessert:



It was the perfect ending to a perfectly tasty meal!

See more vintage and current West Baden Springs Hotel photos on my West Baden, Indiana web page.

Traveling Thursdays: The West Baden Springs Hotel, Pt. 2

Last week, you saw vintage photos of The West Baden Springs Hotel during its heyday. Today, you'll see photos from the first few visits I made to it back in 1996 when it had slid into ruin.



After closing during the Great Depression, the hotel was repurposed in 1934 as The West Baden College, a Jesuit Seminary. Many in the area were upset that the Jesuits removed much of the building's decorative elements to make it more suitable for their purposes. However, without the Jesuits, the vacant hotel may have slipped into a greater state of disrepair. Even the Jesuits found the property to be a fiscal challenge to maintain, and finally had to sell it in 1966 to another school, The Northwood Institute, a private college which operated a satellite campus of their business management school at West Baden until 1983. Here are a few shots from Northwood's 1970 yearbook, the Norfindia. As you can see here, the mighty atrium was being used for car shows:



The former Hygeia Spring had been converted to a chapel:



The once grand Pluto Spring was a dumping ground:



Remnants of the Jesuit era were still to be seen:



Flash forward to 1996. Located an hour from my house, I had read about this hotel for years, and even drawn the cover for a fiction book about it. It was difficult for me to imagine a place this grand located in the middle of nowhere.





Like something out of Rip Van Winkle, the weeds had taken over the once beautiful gardens.



A huge slab of the hand laid italian marble floor from the atrium was sitting outside, unceremoniously dumped many years before. The lobby was in a sad state of decay.



An exterior wall had collapsed, leaving bathtubs, tile, and other items entirely exposed to the elements.



Even additions made by the Jesuits had been ravaged; this is the same statue shown in the Northwood yearbook:



The once grand dining room was in no condition for any meals to be served.



Still, there were glimpses of its former grandeur, as can be seen in this statue of a Muse that was too large to be carted off by vandals:



This fireplace was made entirely of Rookwood Pottery, a famous art pottery once manufactured in Ohio:



Zooming in, you could see Sprudel, the hotel's mascot:



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

Traveling Thursdays: The West Baden Springs Hotel, Pt. 1

At the turn of the century, The West Baden Springs Hotel in southern Indiana, was known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Guests arrived from Chicago & Louisville by train at the very depot shown in vintage shot #1.

The hotel and its grounds were also dubbed the Carlsbad of America, since guests could partake of the waters and cure themselves of all sorts of diseases, just like the mineral springs in Carlsbad, Germany. Carlsbad (or Karlsbad) is a German placename meaning "Charles's Spa," named after Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1316–1378).



Seen in the background here, the centerpiece of the hotel was its domed atrium. Up until the construction of the Houston Astrodome (1965-1999), the West Baden Springs Hotel had the largest freespan dome in the world.



Even the lobby was a marvel to behold, with its beautiful tiled floor and second story writing area. Just perfect for penning a few postcards to send home to the family!



This all encompassing resort had its own hospital, opera house, and even an indoor swimming pool, seen here in this hand tinted vintage postcard.



Physical exercise could also be achieved on the hotel's outdoor bicycle track, which had a baseball diamond smack dab in the center of it. Many a baseball team held their spring training here at the hotel. During the evening, the bicycle track was converted to a walking area where guests could walk off their multi-course dinners.



Here is a photo of the water wagon that patrolled the property, dispensing the delicious sulfur water from the springs that promised to cure a multitude of illnesses.



The gardens were beautiful; in this shot, you can see Sulfur Spring House No. 7 (known as The Sprudel Spring) at left, with the bowling alley to the right.



The interior of the Sprudel Spring, where you could get your sulfur water on tap, either hot or cold!



Downstairs, you could use a ladle to get your water directly from the spring. Oh the smell...if you've ever been near a sulfur spring, it is the same stench as rotten eggs. And to think people paid good money to drink this crap!



The owner of the hotel wasn't Catholic, but he was a good businessman, so in order to increase the guest count, he had a Catholic Cathedral built on the hill next to the hotel.



One of the many walking paths on the property.



Sadly, this successful hotel went to ruin after the great Stock Market Crash of 1929. Part two follows next week.

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