Backyard Adventures

46 Pike Publishing BACKYARD ADVENTURES 2015 Orange County boasts some of the most scenic and pristine vistas in Southern Indi- ana, perfect for a Sunday afternoon drive. Heading north from Interstate 64 on SR 145, crossing Patoka Lake, a breathtaking vision presents the viewer with one press- ing question: "What in the world is this doing here in the middle of nowhere? " Observing the West Baden Springs Hotel is awe-inspiring. The hotel's premier feature is a circular six-story structure with a 1,000 -foot perim- eter, supporting a 200 -foot dome. No one had ever seen anything as spec- tacular as this dome in 1902. It is larger than the White House Dome and St. Peter's Dome in Rome. Hotel rooms either had an exterior view or through French glass doors, facing the interior piazza. Until the Houston Astrodome was built in the1960s, West Baden's was the largest dome in the world. Even while still under construction in the early 1900s, West Baden Springs Hotel was dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World" for its unique and enterprising design. The story of The West Baden Springs Hotel, and its remarkable history, is also a wonder. The French began to settle in the area in the late 1700s, taking the land from Native Americans. Sulfur springs, abundant in the area, were commercially exploited for medical benefits beginning in 1840. Doctor William A. Bowles, a wealthy physician from Paoli, purchased land and built the first hotel in 1845. Bowles felt that the springs had heal- ing powers and wanted to capitalize on the health spa industry sweeping the nation. The Town of French Lick was founded in 1857, was accessible by railroad and by the late 1800s, was famous as a spa town destination. The Town of Mile Lick, a mile north of the giant salt lick and springs in French Lick, also had mineral springs. Dr. John A. Lane purchased this land and built a hotel in 1855 called the Mile Lick Inn, hoping to develop the area and give French Lick and Bowles some competition. Mile Lick was renamed West Baden, connecting it to Baden-Baden and Weisbaden, Germany, a world-renowned spa town. Businessman Lee W. Sinclair acquired controlling interest in the West Baden Springs Hotel in 1888 as the area grew in popularity and prospered. Sinclair cre- ated "Sprudel," the West Baden's gnome mascot whose name is an exploitation of the German word for spring, spudel. "Sprudel" water was the house drink of choice for guests of the hotel. By 1893, a hotel brochure boasted that a daily regimen of spring water could help cure everything from alcoholism, obesity and gallstones, to venereal diseases, ma- laria and pimples. The hotel burned in 1901, giving Sinclair his dream of building his dream hotel, high- lighted by a circular building, topped with the world's largest dome. Architect Harrison Albright of West Virginia was hired by Sinclair and the grand hotel was completed in a year. Albright used reinforced concrete, a material that at the time was considered revolutionary and indestructible, to guarantee that the hotel would be fireproof. Opening in 1902, the West Baden Springs Hotel included the latest amenities in every room such as electric lights, cold and hot water, and telephones. Vacationers included the Du Ponts, the Pershings and the Studebakers, who came to partake the waters. President Franklin D. Roosevelt held speeches and baseball teams held spring training at the resort. The West Baden Hotel also boasted its own opera house, orchestra, theater, double deck pony and bicycle track, and casino. Sinclair died in 1916, leaving daughter Lillian to complete a massive renovation project he started in 1913. Lillian Sinclair was in debt due to lavish renovations and was forced to sell the hotel in 1923 for $1 million to Ed Ballard. The growth of the automobile and the expanding resorts in Florida began pulling wealthy vacationers away from the West Baden Springs Hotel. When the stock market crashed in 1929, the resort's guests left shortly and Ballard could not keep the hotel going. He closed in June 1932, and in 1934, sold it to the Jesuits for one dollar. The Jesuits removed much of the elegant decor and dismantled the building's four Moorish towers and created West Baden College. The seminary closed in June 1964 due to declining enrollment. The Jesuits sold West Baden in 1966 to a Michigan couple who donated it to North- wood Institute, a private college based in Michigan. West Baden Springs Hotel began to deteriorate after Northwood sold it to a real estate development firm in 1985. The firm went bankrupt and the neglected hotel was tied up in the courts for years. The hotel won National Historic Land- mark status in 1987, although it was falling apart. The bankruptcy court sold the hotel for $500,000 to Minnesota Investment Partners, who was hoping to win a casino license, which was unsuccessful at the time. HLFI West Baden, Inc., a subsidiary of Indiana Landmarks, bought the property for $250,000 in July 1996. An anonymous donor contributed the purchase price. Bill and Gayle Cook, and their companies, of Bloomington, Ind., eventually spent $ 32 million on the initial restoration. The Cooks restored the exteriors of the hotel, including the double-arched entrance gate, Bowling and Billiard Hall, Apollo and Hygeia Springs Pavilions, stable and garage building, power plant, gazebo and observa- tory. The Cooks returned the 100'x 200' domed atrium, lobby and dining room to their origi- nal elegance. It took two and a half years, nearly four million tons of structural steel and nearly 600 engineers, carpenters and craftsmen, but in the end, there she stood, looking just as majestic as the glory days of the 1920s. Indiana Landmarks' subsidiary HLFI West Baden, Inc. sold the West Baden Springs Hotel to a Cook subsidiary in 2006 for $5, with credit for the millions invested in restoration. The Cook family completed the West Baden Springs Hotel restoration it started ten years earlier. Re-opening in May 2007 and offering overnight accommodations for the first time since 1932, the restoration and preservation achievement began winning national awards immediately. W E S T B A D E N S P R I N G S H O T E L West baden: a look back at the WONDER DOME STORY AND PHOTOS BY FRAN PETIT

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