WEST BADEN SPRINGS HOTEL

It's history time remember no pictures you'll have a test. We wanted you to know the history about the hotel. The hotel is built in a circle and as you walk the circle there is all the pictures and the history. We really enjoyed walking the circle and reading all the info.

The hotel was built in 1855 by Dr. John A Lane a mile from French Lick, Indiana. Dr Lane changed the name of Mile Lick to West Baden after visiting Weisbaden, Germany another spa area with mineral springs. Mile Lick Inn became West Baden Hotel.

In 1858 Lee Wiley Sinclair married Ann Eliza Brandt, during their marriage various number of her relatives lived with them, I think that's why he became interested in the hotel. Sinclair built the largest woolen mill in southern Indiana and also on in Chicago.
In 1873 his wife died, he then remarried in 1874, didn't wait long. His one and only daughter Lillian was born in 1875.
In 1880 he became president of the bank in Salem, he later opened a bank in West Baden Springs Hotel. In 1883 his woolen factory was destroyed by fire. The estimated loss was 80,000. In 1887 the railroad came to town and made the hotel visitor friendly.
After a term in the Indiana House of Representives.
In 1888 Sinclair buys controlling interest in the original hotel. Sinclair made the hotel into a world class resort with spa 500 rooms, electrically lit and steam heated. A unique double decker bicycle and pony cart track. He also added an opera house (remember no TV). In 1895 Sinclair added a Casino to the hotel.
1901 FIRE in about 90 minutes the wooden frame building was consumed. By dawn there wad nothing but $500,000 of ashes. There were 400 people in the hotel but nobody was lost but 2 dogs. Sinclair resolved to rebuild in a year a fireproof hotel, bigger and better than the first
He hired an architect from West Virginia to build the largest free-span dome in the world for 414,000. All the other architects rejected the 200 foot diameter dome concept as an impossibility. Albright also worked with a deadline, and had agreed to forfeit $100 a day for every day over 200 days.
1902 Sinclair moved into his apartment in the Eighth Architectural Wonder of the World.
1916 Lee Sinclair died and lay in state in the Grand Atrium of his hotel. 1500 people attended the funeral service. His daughter Lillian and her husband Charles Rexford became the new owners of the hotel. In 1916-17 the hotel was renovated. The huge fireplace in the atrium was refaced by Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati Ohio and today it is considered to be priceless.
Without informing Lillian, Charles took a loan from Edward Ballard to finance the renovations. In 1918 during World War I the hotel became a hospital No. 35. Charles was forced to tell Lillian about the loan and she divorced him. 1919 hotel was a resort and spa again.
1923 Lillian failed to repay her loan and sold it to Ed Ballard for one million dollars and married the Lt she fell in love with while the hotel was a hospital. Ed Ballard was a protege of Lillian's dad and started as a pin setter in the hotel bowling alley.
1929 stock market crashed and the Great Depression, many guests departed immediately and eithin 4 days was empty. In 1932 the hotel closed for the last time. Ballard sold the hotel to the Jesuits for one dollar. The Jesuits move out in 1964, they couldn't keep up the building. In 1966 it was sold at auction to a college, they moved out in 1983, sold again 1985 this firm went bankrupt and it was deteriating fast. 1987 it was designated as a National Historic Landmark. They purchased the hotel for 250,000. Cook Group Inc rescued the hotel and today it is well worth a trip to southern Indiana. Thanks Pure herbs for giving us the privilege to see this National Historic Landmark.