The hotel at West Baden Springs

West Baden Springs Hotel

Would you believe that in the 1990s, this grand structure sat abandoned and crumbling? An exterior wall had even collapsed. Yet here it is today, restored and jaw-dropping.

This is the West Baden Springs Hotel, completed in 1902. Nestled among the mineral springs in Orange County in far southern Indiana, the hotel attracted people looking to relax and let the springs heal what ailed them — and people looking to gamble in the illicit casinos here.

Billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World, its enormous domed atrium was the largest domed structure in the world at that time.

West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel

There are four exits from the atrium; one of them leads to this lobby, which is also round.

West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel

A deep porch curves around the front of the hotel. Some of it is covered and some is not; this uncovered portion was closed this day. The covered portions gave surprising relief from what was a very hot day.

West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel

You’ll find a sunken garden next to the hotel. This is where the springs used to be. They’re probably still there, but they’ve been closed up for years.

West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel

The main entry and exit road to the hotel is paved in brick. This road shows every sign of heavy use over decades. It was very rumbly as we drove in and out.

West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel

The entry arch dates to the hotel’s beginnings, when the springs were marketed as the main attraction here. “West Baden” is an Anglicization of “Wiesbaden,” a springs and spa town in Germany.

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Comments

27 responses to “The hotel at West Baden Springs”

  1. Michael McNeill Avatar

    Looks stunning! Hopefully they will restore the mineral water springs some day.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I’m not sure that’s in their plans as they aren’t going to be the draw they were 100 years ago. But no matter; this region remains hugely popular. The casino just down the road in French Lick certainly helps that a lot!

  2. Andy Umbo Avatar
    Andy Umbo

    This is quite a “wow”. Wonder what kind of information the owner was looking at, back in the day, that would have resulted in wildly overbuilding this for the area. Were they expecting people to be taking trains down from Chicago after they built it? There was a financial crisis in 1907, then a short depression in 1920-21, before the big crash of 1929. There was also wild financial speculation in the early 1900’s, and maybe this was part of it? This is the type of stuff I think about when I see stuff like this.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I have to think that the mineral springs were a huge draw even in those uncertain times.

  3. Edie Breneman Avatar
    Edie Breneman

    I have been to West Baden in many of its forms, including chest high weeds. Your photos show a beautiful place!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I’ve only seen photos of the years leading up to the restoration. It’s amazing how far this place has come!

  4. Doug Anderson Avatar

    Amazing! Thanks for sharing.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      It really is! My photos only give a partial sense of the grandeur.

  5. Austin Newell Avatar

    Wow this place looks Grand! The atrium is amazing.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      It’s breathtaking.

  6. Nancy Stewart Avatar
    Nancy Stewart

    It’s always been a wish of mine to stay a weekend at West Baden during the holidays, with the big tree in the atrium. That and Vanderbilt mansion in North Carolina. Now with Jerry’s health issues I doubt I will ever see either one. Travel while you are still young enough and healthy enough to do it.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Margaret and I have talked a lot about travel while we’re still fully able. There are no guarantees we will be healthy enough later.

  7. Kurt Ingham Avatar

    WOW!!! That is amazing. Thanks,Jim

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      It’s the last thing you’d expect to find in this part of Indiana!

  8. Katie Yang Avatar

    I was curious if you had to deliberate over which cameras/lenses to bring, knowing you were going to capture images of this unbelievably beautiful place?

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      I didn’t deliberate at all over the camera: it would be the Nikon Df. I knew I would be traveling more later in the summer and would bring that camera with me. I did buy the 28-200mm lens just before making this trip, however, because I knew I’d want the deep zoom!

  9. Shirley B. Avatar
    Shirley B.

    Wow! What a beautiful place, thanks for sharing! It’s on the bucket list as of now.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Places in Indiana are seldom on anyone’s bucket list!

      1. Shirley B. Avatar
        Shirley B.

        Which means less tourists: just the we we like it!

        1. Jim Grey Avatar

          Agreed!

  10. Mike Skelton Avatar

    These are fantastic photos, Jim. I had already favourited one on Flickr. The colours and details are incredible and the light in the atrium is awe inspiring, wonderfully captured.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      It was so easy to capture! Walk up, find a composition, shoot, and enjoy. Such a great space for photography.

  11. Ward Fogelsanger Avatar
    Ward Fogelsanger

    That’s awesome. Had it been located in my home town of Casey it would probably have been a goner.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Were it not for a very wealthy benefactor, this would have been a goner, too.

  12. J P Avatar

    Marianne and I visited several years ago and it is indeed stunning. I wish I was a golfer or loved gambling because there isn’t a lot of other things to do there after walking around the gorgeous old resorts.

    1. J P Avatar

      Ok, “aren’t” a lot of other things to do there. Yes, I have traces of OCD.

    2. Jim Grey Avatar

      Margaret and I see that, and we talked about it. We decided that we’d make a weekend out of West Baden when all we want to do is relax. We envision sitting on that big porch and just watching the grass grow.

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