West Baden Springs Hotel
A historic luxury hotel with what was once the largest freestanding dome in the world!
Pamper yourself at the West Baden Springs Hotel!
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the West Baden Springs Hotel offers incredible beauty and luxury to those needing a getaway. Guest amenities include:
- Indoor/outdoor swimming pool and hot tub
- Spa services and fitness center
- Casual and fine dining restaurants
- Retail shops
- Beautiful formal gardens
- Historic tours
- Complimentary shuttle service throughout the resort and community
- Complimentary rides between hotels and casino on a 1930s rail trolley
- Complimentary valet and self-parking
- Electric vehicle charging stations
West Baden Springs Hotel began as Mile Lick Inn!
Seeing the success of the French Lick Springs Hotel, in 1850 another doctor built his own health resort a mile down the road, where there were also several natural mineral springs. Originally, the hotel was named Mile Lick Inn, and journalists hailed it as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. Later, however, the owner was inspired by the famous mineral springs of Wiesbaden, Germany, and changed the name of town and hotel to West Baden Springs.
West Baden Springs Hotel has a fiery history!
The West Baden Springs Hotel changed hands in 1888, and the new owner grew it into a sophisticated resort by adding:
- an opera house
- a casino
- golf courses
- a church
- a full-size baseball field
- a double-decker 1/3 mile oval pony and bicycle racing track
The hotel burned to the ground in 1901, but the owner built an even more lavish facility in its place. He modeled it after the grand spas found in Europe, and built the luxurious new hotel in just one year. It featured a breathtaking atrium covered by a 200 foot free-span dome, which was the largest dome in the world at that time.
In fact, the West Baden Springs Hotel held the record for the world’s largest self-supporting dome until 1913. It remained the largest dome in the United States until 1955.
1929 was the end of an era for West Baden Springs Hotel
The stock market crash of 1929 also brought the popularity of the West Baden Springs Hotel to a crashing halt. Guests ceased to pour in as they had before, and so the hotel closed in 1932. Two years later it was sold to the Jesuits for just one dollar. They removed many of the fancier elements of the hotel, and it operated as a seminary until 1964. Another two years passed, then the property changed hands again and operated as a private college until 1983.
In 1985 the property was sold to a real estate development firm who soon declared bankruptcy. The property fell into decline, and it had to be closed for safety reasons in 1989. Finally, in 1991 portion of the building collapsed.
West Baden Springs Hotel is reborn!
The hotel had been declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974, but it wasn’t until 1992, after the partial building collapse, that any real preservation efforts were undertaken. The property was sold again, along with the French Lick Springs Hotel, but this time millions were spent to renovate and restore both hotels to their former glory. Finally, in 2007, the restoration work was completed, and the iconic West Baden Springs Hotel once again opened as a lodging establishment for guests to relax in splendor. Both historic hotels are part of what is now French Lick Resort.
