West Baden Springs Hotel

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Hidden in the scenic rolling hills of southern Indiana lies the West Baden Springs Hotel. Once the premiere getaway for America’s elite, West Baden has been restored to it’s original splendor.  We couldn’t help but want to find out more about the rich history of the hotel and see the stunning beauty for ourselves.

It was 8am on a Friday morning when we packed the car with our gear and were on the road.  Our plans?  Get to West Baden, pick up whatever footage we needed, and move over to French Lick to do it again; with plans to be back before 5 o’clock. Even with all the  extensive research and pre-production we did beforehand, nothing could have prepared us for just how stunning West Baden would be.  As soon as we took our first steps into the dome and laid eyes on the beautiful atrium, we knew our plans for the day would need to be changed.  With so much to be documented at West Baden alone, we realized we could not fit both hotels in one day. There was nothing to do but spend the whole day at West Baden, and even that wasn’t enough.

Documenting the West Baden Springs hotel was beautifully frustrating.  We felt a certain peace walking around the grounds and soaking in all of the timeless beauty the hotel has to offer; however, at the same time we felt frustrated–no matter how many angles we filmed from–no matter how many photos we snapped–nothing–nothing could capture the elegance of West Baden like the naked eye.

Even as we walked out to the car to head home for the night, we couldn’t help but find excuses to get more footage.  We literally snapped photos as we drove back to “real” life.  To think a place with such rich history and rare artistry could be found right in the heart of Indiana is truly amazing.  But one day just isn’t enough.  West Baden is the kind of place you just want to experience over and over again.

For more information visit Frenchlick.com.

Comments

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  1. Stephan Wininger said, on December 17th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Great videos of French Lick and West Baden Springs Hotels. Thanks for producing!!

  2. Kenneth Bensen said, on December 30th, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    Only one word Spectacular!

  3. Robert P. Marshall said, on January 9th, 2010 at 12:28 am

    As a native Hoosier – It makes me VERY proud! What great historic structure for Indiana and now for people to again enjoy.

  4. Robin Cox said, on January 10th, 2010 at 8:27 pm

    My husband and I will be visting in April 2010 for our 10th wedding anniversary. If this video is a preview of what we can expect, I cant wait!

  5. Jodi Judy said, on January 26th, 2010 at 6:16 pm

    Wow! Impressive!

  6. Robert L. Martin said, on June 28th, 2010 at 4:13 pm

    I formerly owned a time share at French Lick Villas. I have made many trips to the WB Springs hotel before restoration. I have made a short visit in 1999…..what has been done is awesome!!!!

  7. Claudia Dikinis said, on May 22nd, 2011 at 3:00 pm

    I attended college here when the hotel was known as Northwood of Indiana! The place is haunted! Very cool :) read Michael Koryta’s “So Cold the River.” He is a Bloomington resident who built a fine supernatural novel around the hotel, West Baden, French Lick and the hotel’s history.

  8. Richard Jankowski said, on May 24th, 2011 at 12:52 pm

    Looks fantastic. I attended college here when Northwood Institute opened it’s campus. Many fond memories of the facility,the town, it’s people & the French Lick Springs Hotel. I hope to come down to play the Ross course. Very happy to see what is has become.

  9. Amy L. Smith said, on June 25th, 2011 at 11:25 pm

    I was in grad school in Bloomington in the early ’80s, and one day my boyfriend and I took a ride over to French Lick to see this hotel – it was abandoned, but there were these two old men who sat just inside the entrance playing chess, guarding the place from vandals. They wouldn’t let us go further inside because it was too dangerous, but we were able to see the lobby and the dome. Walking around the grounds felt like a stroll through the Tuileries. I am so delighted to see that someone cared enough about a historic structure to renovate it instead of tearing it down. Visiting it as a ruin was a haunting experience – I’ll now look for an excuse to get back to Indiana to see it again.

  10. Brenda Horton Lewis said, on July 12th, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    Absolutly awesome. I have recently found out that the original builder – Wiley Sinclair was my 6th Great Grandfather. I hope to be able to visit and see it all for myself soon.

  11. Mike Kreuzer said, on August 12th, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    My wife and I spent our honeymoon at the French Lick Sheraton Resort in August 1962. While there, we visited the West Baden Hotel, which was a Jesuit seminary at the time. One of the seminarians actually took us up to the top of the dome, where I took some 8mm movies of the surrounding gardens, along with movies of the interior atrium area as well. The video of the hotel today has brought back some great memories of that day, and the hotel doesn’t look much different now than it did in 1962! What a wonderful restoration!

    We plan to visit West Baden again in August 2012 as part of our 50th wedding anniversary trip.

  12. Eileen Armstrong said, on September 19th, 2011 at 7:51 am

    Thank God for Bill and Gayle Cook. Without them this wonderful piece of Indiana history may have vanished. My family and I toured the West Baden just before it opened and were star struck! My husband and I are definitely coming here for our tenth anniversary. We have the DVD we bought when we did the tour, but this video is a nice touch. Made me a little misty eyed.

  13. Tracy Lawyer said, on December 7th, 2011 at 11:13 pm

    We have stayed here, it’s just beautiful. The service there is amazing. This building is unbelievable. The detail is just something to see. They spared no expense when restoring this place.

  14. Christmas in French Lick | MySmithville® said, on December 12th, 2011 at 5:31 pm

    [...] West Baden Springs Hotel [...]

  15. Roger W. Meads D.V.M. said, on January 6th, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    As I stepped through the door into the atrium, I was in total awe. My friend whom took me, only told we it was interesting architecture. I have never seen such splendor or elegance in any structure in my life, and I have been around the corner once or twice. Since I returned, I have been shouting from the roof top in full volume, to all whom can hear, in northeast Wisconsin, the elegance, splender and beauty of West Baden Spring. As a dairy cow veterinarina who works in very large dairy cattle herd, “How much hay can we put in the atrium”