West Baden Springs
Part of the hilariously named French Lick Resort, West Baden Springs, is a hotel extravaganza. When it was opened in 1902, dumb-struck locals called it the ‘8th Wonder of the World’, and its mineral water baths were said to cure everything apart from credulity.
In 1917, an incredible renovation saw two million one-inch squares of marble to create the incredible domed atrium.
The Wall Street Crash walloped the hotel’s finances, and in 1934 the owners donated the structure to a religious organization. It changed hands a few more times before becoming its current incarnation as part of one of the top resorts in North America.
It has its own stables, fitness, and wellness centers. The hotel runs shuttles to the championship golf course and casino, so you can be sure to have an excellent and raucous time.
There is a selection of restaurants, spas, and casinos for you to enjoy, and it even has its own creamery and private dining restaurants.
From the beginning of the 1900s, West Baden was a magnet for gamblers, and the thermal baths were so attractive that a night at West Baden Spring cost twice as much as at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City.
In the 1920s, West Baden was considered to be the Monte Carlo of the Midwest. Al Capone was one of the most notorious regulars at the West Baden Springs Hotel.
The renowned hotel's dome was the largest in America for several decades - and the world's biggest at the beginning of the 20th century -, and the building today is a National Historic Landmark.
Harrison Albright was the architect of West Baden Springs, and his job was to make sure it would not burn down, as the former 1855 building it replaced. For this reason, they used as little wood as possible for the dome's structure.
The project included the construction of several other buildings. An opera house, a hospital, a Catholic church, a two-story building for bicycle and horse races, and fountain houses, like the ones in Baden-Baden, Germany.
The hotel was built in the style of the Greek Revival.
Epic Dome
The elliptical dome, made of glass and steel, spans the inner courtyard and has a diameter of 196 feet (60 meters) and a height of 130 feet (40 meters). It was the largest free-spanning dome in the world until 1913 and until 1963 in the US.
The atrium under the dome is the most impressive feature of the West Baden Springs hotel. It's laid with a beautiful marble mosaic floor, and just like in the seven-star Galleria Vik Milano, some of the rooms have a window facing it.
The 243 luxury rooms and suites are wrapped in a 1920s royal outfit with vintage furniture and decoration.
Booking a room at the West Baden Springs hotel will give you access to indoor and outdoor pools and a hot tub.
