West Baden Springs Hotel

West Baden, Indiana

Article by Stephanie Bolton

West Baden Springs Resort is often referred to as “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” and for good reason. It boasts the world’s largest dome!

Origin of the Largest Dome in the World

In June of 1901 Lee W. Sinclair decided to build the hotel of his dreams after the initial one burned down. The hotel he desired consisted of a cylindrical building topped with the largest dome in the world and which would now be built out of nonflammable materials. Also, since West Baden is known for its mineral springs, Mr. Sinclair’s dream hotel would mimic, if not ultimately surpass, the most luxurious spas in Europe.

Design Problems and Solutions

Most architects deemed this design—combining the largest dome in a building complex with natural springs impossible, but Harrison Albright, a young man right out of school, with very little experience, was confident he could build Mr. Sinclair’s grand hotel.

Another problem was that Mr. Sinclair stipulated that Mr. Albright must have everything completed in time for the grand opening of the new hotel to be on the one year anniversary of when the old hotel burned down. Amazingly enough, Mr. Albright met this challenge and the hotel opened on June 14, 1902 to Mr. Sinclair’s closest friends and relatives.

Construction Mistakes and Shortcuts Lead to Other Problems and Solutions

Unfortunately, because the new building had to be completed in a year, some shortcuts were taken that resulted in many problems later on. One significant problem involved the concrete slabs for the circumference of the dome.

These slabs acted as floors and ceilings for the guest rooms and when creating them, they mixed the concrete with charcoal, wood, and coals to accelerate the setting up process in the winter. After the collapsing of a wall in 1991, the strength of these concrete slabs was estimated to be 1,200 p.s.i.(Pounds per Square Inch) whereas now they won’t even build a sidewalk that is less than 3,000 p.s.i. (Pounds per Square Inch).

The collapse, along with many other problems, was rectified during the renovations that occurred in the 1990’s. The hotel is currently back to its original grandeur.

Interior

Upon entering the enormous and encompassing atrium, your eyes are immediately drawn upward to the large steel-framed dome with a beautifully decorated center piece that mimics the tile patterns on the floor.

Your attention then moves from the top floor downward, carefully scanning the balconies and windows of the 243 rooms of the hotel (none of which have the same square footage). All six of the floors consist of double, vertical windows with balcony rooms on the third and sixth floors. The windows are in sets of three then are separated by large, Ionic, engaged culumns that go from directly above the first floor to directly above the sixth.

The balconies have iron balusters with paintings of columns on either side of the ten, glass-paned, French doors. Each of these faux columns has a painting of a Roman statue sitting on top of it.

The outer portion of the floor consists of the original, beautiful, mosaic tile while the inner portion is carpet. The carpet consists of pathways that lead you directly to the middle of the atrium, under the centerpiece of the dome.

Arriving

A Roman inspired, double arch that reads “West Baden Springs Carlsbad of America” immediately greets guests at the entrance of the long hotel drive, as they embark on a journey back in time. The phrase “Carlsbad of America” is a phrase that was added by Mr. Sinclair and it derived from a famous spa named Karlovy Vary in Czechoslovakia. Karlovy Vary translates to Carlsbad in German and just as in the West Baden area; Carlsbad was famous for its many mineral springs.

Under each of the arches is a long, brick drive leading to the hotel. When first entering under the arch, the hotel is mostly hidden by trees. Then it slowly emerges into view as you proceed down the drive.

Its beautiful Roman inspired architecture, mimics that of the Pantheon with its’ large facades and enormous domed atrium.

Exterior

When viewing the hotel from the outside, there are six horizontal rows of windows which surround it. The first row consists of double, vertical windows that are topped with a Roman arched window; every row above it, then mimics the double windows but lacks the arch. The building is also topped with crenellated edges that make the hotel look even more luxurious.

The four, square towers on top of the hotel were removed by the Jesuits in the 1940’s, but were replaced in 1999 by Cook Group Incorporated, who were responsible for a majority of the hotels renovations.

Each tower consists of four Roman arches and a cupola. The inside of these towers are made of an inner structural steel tubing network and the outside skins of the towers consist of baked enamel paint.

Getting the Four Towers on the Building

It was impossible to use a crane to place the towers on the hotel because the land was unstable and they would have had to cut down one-hundred year old trees. Instead, these towers, each of which weighs 18,000 pounds, had to be lowered onto the hotel by helicopter

Gardens

After exiting the gorgeous, double-storied lobby, the entrance to the gardens is in view. These formal, sunken gardens imitate the beauty that once welcomed guests to stroll along the brick pathways and are full of plant-life native to the area. The focal feature of these luscious gardens is a refreshing fountain that was completely reconstructed from historic photographs.