What a Difference!

In May 1996, Indiana Landmarks held a press conference announcing our purchase of the West Baden Springs Hotel, a National Historic Landmark in southern Indiana, and our partnership with the Cook family to restore it. The vacant 1902 hotel had reached a precarious state—an exterior wall and roof section collapsed, other areas in imminent danger of following suit, its wondrous interior sadly decayed and vandalized.

At the press conference, the townspeople had a question: “Will people still be able to see it?” Even in its dilapidated state (when a tour required a signature waiving liability), it was a breathtaking place valued by people in Orange County. On the spot, Indiana Landmarks said we’d hold weekend tours, hoping to recruit half a dozen volunteer guides.

This year, we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of our West Baden-French Lick tour program. Indiana Landmarks offers tours—powered by volunteers—of both grand hotels, departing from our Landmarks Emporium shops seven days a week.

We still rely on volunteers, whose contributions we celebrate every year at this time. In 2016, our 37 volunteers have given us over 3,700 hours: we couldn’t continue the tours and museum stores without them. At the volunteers’ anniversary dinner in November, Cook Group Chairman Steve Ferguson will speak about the future of the resort, and he’ll answer the question most frequently asked on our tours: “Are the hotels making money?”

“Both hotels break even operationally, but can’t quite cover overhead,” he says, noting that they’re improving all the time. “The trouble is, every capital project in the hotels has six digits—for example, replacing the bridge on the boulevard close to the West Baden Springs Hotel,” he adds. “The casino makes the whole operation sustainable.”

“It’s not just about the old buildings, and preserving the past. It’s about building for the future and benefitting entire communities,” declared the late Bill Cook, whose family masterminded and funded the hotel restorations. Twenty years later, you’ll find revived communities with restored buildings, walking trails, new restaurants and shops. When you go, claim your member discount when you take a tour and make purchases in our shops!