The History of the

West Baden Springs Hotel

The "Eighth Wonder of the World!"

Here is just a small portion of the wondrous history of the West Baden Springs Hotel.  Special thanks to Andrea Hill, West Baden Springs Project Assistant, of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana for providing the information.

Early Resort Developments:

1778  George Rogers Clark discovered the area's mineral springs and salt licks.

1832  Dr. William Bowles bought the salty lands from the State of Indiana and built the French Lick Springs Hotel, providing the basis for the region's reputation as a mineral springs resort area.

1855  Dr. John Lane, who had opened a hotel in the nearby town of Mile Lick, changed the name of the town and his establishment to West Baden Springs after the famous springs in Wiesbaden, Germany. 

After the Monon Railroad extended its route to reach the Springs Valley, both resorts attracted guests from all over the Midwest.

1888  Lee W. Sinclair, an Indiana banker and frequent West Baden guest, acquired controlling interest in the hotel.   Eventually, Sinclair was its sole owner and he transformed it into a sophisticated resort, adding an opera house, a casino, a two-deck pony and bicycle track and a full-size baseball field.

1901  A fire destroyed the entire hotel in less than two hours.  All the guests escaped unharmed.  Sinclair used the tragedy as his opportunity to build the hotel of his dreams.  His design ideas for the new hotel were considered outrageous.  He wanted a circular building, topped by the world's largest dome, built as much as possible of non-flammable materials and decorated like the grandest spas of Europe--and he wanted the new hotel completed within the year.

The Eighth Wonder of the World:

1902  Eleven months after construction began, the wondrous new hotel opened for business.  Prominent Hoosiers officiated at the grand re-opening, the first of a long line of celebrities, sports figures, heads of state, artists and dignitaries who would flock to what was called the Eighth Wonder of the World.   If the advertisements and press about the new hotel could be believed, the West Baden Springs Hotel truly deserved its reputation.  Ads claimed the resort's mineral baths and drinking waters could cure more than 50 illnesses including cancer, sterility, sprains, and alcoholism. 

In addition to the waters and world-class accommodations, there was golf, horseback riding, billiards, bowling, baseball, swimming, hiking on scenic trails, bicycling, and nightly theater.  Guests never had to leave the hotel for anything: shops, a bank, barbers and even a stock brokerage firm operated within the grand atrium.  Birds flew from palm to palm in the 200-foot-diameter atrium, and a fireplace that burned 14-foot logs warmed the space on cool evenings. 

It was a perennial vacation spot for the great and near-great during the first three decades of the 20th century.  Guests included: "Diamond Jim" Brady and Al Capone, and entire professional baseball teams (the Chicago White Sox and Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds) who held spring training at the resort, Mayor "Big Bill" Thompson of Chicago, and New York Governor and Presidential Candidate Alfred E. Smith.

1916  Sinclair died and his daughter and her husband took over the hotel's operation.  When the hotel served as an Army hospital after the outbreak of World War I, however, Lillian Sinclair Rexford fell in love with a recuperating officer.  She divorced her husband, remarried and sold the hotel to Ed Ballard.

Gambling Couldn't Defeat the Depression:

1923  Ed Ballard used a portion of the fortune he amassed buying and managing casinos in the Springs Valley to purchase the West Baden Springs Hotel for $1-million. 

Well-known journalists and physicians began questioning the healing power of mineral springs.  Although diehards still came to West Baden to "take the waters," another pastime quickly rose to fill the void.  Gambling now flourished as the main attraction in the Springs Valley.

Ballard gave local residents priority for resort jobs and even created jobs when the Depression hit.  The loyalty this created among the townspeople may be the reason why no one ever criticized Ballard's gambling operations.

1929  The stock market crash came as a sudden and devastating shock to the Springs Valley.  The stock exchange in the West Baden Springs Hotel reported the news of the stock market crash.  Within four days, the Springs Valley establishments were virtually empty.  Jobs simply vanished overnight.   Although Ballard kept the West Baden Springs Hotel open through 1932, few guests visited.

Educational Uses:

1934  Ballard sold the West Baden Springs Hotel to the Jesuits for one dollar.  After stripping the building of its elegant appointments, the Jesuits operated a seminary there for 30 years.  They continue to maintain a cemetery on the property.

1966  The Jesuits sold the property to a Michigan couple, who donated it to Northwood Institute, a private college offering a variety of bachelor's and associates' degrees.  Especially well-known were the automotive marketing and hotel and restaurant management programs, which held large shows and demonstrations under the domed atrium.

1980s  Larry Bird held overnight basketball camps--with games inside the domed atrium--at the facility.

1983  Northwood closed the campus.

1985  The hotel was purchased by Marlin Properties, a Los Angeles-based real estate development firm.  Marlin subsequently declared bankruptcy, and the hotel property was tangled in years of litigation before a Los Angeles federal bankruptcy court judge resolved an issue of contested ownership and appointed a bankruptcy receiver to sell the hotel.

Stabilization Work:

1987  The property was designated a National Historic Landmark.  (The hotel was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and is included in the Historic American Engineering Record.)

1991  A buildup of ice and water in a section of the roof's drainpipes caused the collapse of a small portion of the exterior wall.

1992  Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana used an emergency appropriation of nearly $140,000 to repair the wall.  Until then, Historic Landmarks had never invested money in a property it didn't own (apart from the grants and loans it makes to nonprofit local preservation groups.)  Volunteers from the local Lions Club boarded the ground floor of the hotel with materials donated by Orange County 2000, a civic organization.

The "Boat in the Moat" Proposal:

1994  Minnesota Investment Partners (MIP) bought the hotel from the Los Angeles bankruptcy court receiver for $500,000.  Grand Casinos Inc., one of the nation's largest developers of gaming sites, provided the acquisition of money and then optioned the hotel from MIP.

1995  During the legislative session, Grand Casinos lobbied to amend an Indiana law to allow riverboat gaming on a body of water they proposed to build on the property.  After its legislative defeat (a proposal passed the Indiana House but failed in the Senate), Grand Casinos decided not to pursue development of the hotel property.

New Lease on Life:

1996  Through anonymous contributions, Historic Landmarks Foundation bought the West Baden Springs Hotel for $250,000.  The list price was $800,000.  Cook Group of Bloomington, Indiana began emergency repairs and partial restoration work.  Historic Landmarks began the hunt for a new user or a combination of users for the property.

More than 7,000 people toured the property between August and October, raising approximately $67,000 toward the restoration.

1997  As many as 300 craftsmen and artists work on the restoration everyday.

Continual progress draws nearly 25,000 tourists to the site between April and October, raising over $216,000 for the project.

1998  the $31 million Phase I restoration is completed on time in October, with the placement of four replicated towers, lifted into position by sky crane helicopter.  The event was witnessed by nearly 5,000 spectators, as well as national and regional press.  At the black-tie Noctume, a benefit on October 30, nearly 1,400 people celebrated the restoration in high-style.

Over 54,000 visitors tour the property, grossing $498,000 for the project.  A winter tour schedule is introduced for the first time.  The winter schedule also includes first evening of holiday festivities to warm the property in many-a-year.

1999  Tours of the property continue.  Because of the ever increasing number of visitors, tours are increased to three-per-day during the winter schedule.

2001  Evening tours of the West Baden Springs Hotel are being offered the first Saturday of each month at 8 p.m.  Admission is $10.00   Call 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534.

2001  If you'd like a closer look at the Historic hotel, Historic Landmarks are offering a two-hour Behind the Scenes tour where you'll see remaining spa rooms on the sixth floor, an unrestored floor, and a posh two-bedroom demonstration suite.  Cost is $15.00 per person and tours are the 4th Saturday each month except for October.  You are also being offered a six-hour history seminar and tour called "Legacy of Dreams" given by expert Chris Bundy.  Cost is $37.00 per person and includes a continential breakfast and lunch.  Legacy of Dreams is offered June 16, July 14 and September 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Reservations are required.  Call 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534.