In 1983, Indiana's West Baden Springs Hotel was left vacant and decaying; a medical-device company helped fund its $35 million rescue, and it reopened as a hotel in 2007

When it opened in 1902, the West Baden Springs Hotel in southern Indiana was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Within the next 81 years, however, the building went from a luxury resort to an abandoned landmark in need of rescue, before eventually reopening as a working hotel.

According to the National Park Service, the Northwood Institute closed its campus there in 1983, and the building fell into disrepair. Ownership changed hands, the new owner later went bankrupt, and the building's future remained uncertain for more than a decade. It is now held up as an example of how a historic landmark can be saved; though, as its history shows, that process was neither quick nor simple.

A dome worth the hype


The hotel had an impressive atrium, 200 ft wide and 100 ft high. According to Indiana Landmarks, this was the largest free-span dome in the world until Houston’s Astrodome opened in the 1960s. Lee Sinclair, who had owned the hotel's earlier incarnation since 1888, commissioned the domed building after a fire destroyed the existing structure in June 1901. Sinclair challenged architect Harrison Albright to complete it in under a year. It opened in September 1902 to glowing reviews from the press. Guests at the opening included General John J. Pershing.

The hotel struggled financially during the Great Depression and closed in 1932. It became a Jesuit seminary between 1934 and 1964. In 1966, it was purchased and donated to the Northwood Institute, which operated a business school campus there until 1983. After Northwood closed the campus that year, the building sat vacant, and in January 1991, a 180-foot section of exterior wall collapsed after ice and water built up on the roof and in the drainpipes.

The rescue was a collaborative effort

In July 1996, the building was purchased by the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, the organization now known as Indiana Landmarks, which adopted that name in 2010, using donated funds. The Cook Group, a medical device manufacturer, partnered with the foundation to fund a $35 million restoration project, covering stabilization and exterior work, between 1996 and 2004.

In 2006, a gaming license was granted to operate a casino near the hotel. This didn't make the still-unrestored hotel instantly profitable; it made the broader resort project financially viable enough for investors to fund the hotel's full conversion into a working property, something the community, Cook Group, and Indiana Landmarks had campaigned for. It was considered vital to restoring West Baden and the nearby French Lick Springs Hotel, and shows how saving old buildings often needs a viable business plan behind it, not just restoration funds.

How much did it cost?

The $35 million figure, cited by the National Park Service, covered the 1996–2004 stabilization and exterior restoration phase. A separate, later phase converted the restored building's interior into a functioning luxury hotel; according to a CBS News report, the ribbon-cutting in 2007 marked the end of a roughly $90 million, nearly two-year project. Together, these two phases brought the total restoration cost close to $100 million.

The fine print that keeps it standing

The building has a preservation easement, ensuring that the National Historic Landmark will be protected forever. According to the National Park Service, the present and future owners must preserve the characteristics of the building. The foundation visits each year.

Parts of the exterior, ancillary buildings, garden, landscaping, two areas of the lobby, and dome atrium are covered under the easement. Developers were allowed to rebuild the historic natatorium (indoor swimming pool building). However, the number of guest rooms was halved from 508 to reduce the number of guests and give them more space.

A new beginning

The hotel started taking overnight guests in May 2007. According to Indiana Landmarks, this was the first time since 1932. The President of the foundation said it was the most important preservation project in Indiana’s history. The first guest to check in was the daughter of a former gardener at the hotel. Restoring a landmark like this took a donation, a corporate partner, legal protection through a preservation easement, and a viable business plan, all working together over more than a decade.