West Baden Springs Hotel - Eighth Wonder

Eighth Wonder

The new structure opened September 15, 1902 to rave reviews, and advertisements called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. The resort's mineral water and baths were alleged to cure almost anything, and the hotel's amenities included a casino, live theater every night, opera, concerts, movies, bowling and billiards. Outside the hotel, guests had their choice of a natatorium, two golf courses, bicycling on a double-decked covered oval bicycle track that was the largest in the country at 1,760 feet (540 m), horseback riding, baseball, and several picturesque hiking trails. To cater to their well-heeled clientele, the hotel provided a bank and a stock brokerage. A trolley transported guests from the hotel's front door to nearby French Lick. Palm trees grew in the huge atrium where birds had free range and guests relaxed on overstuffed furniture grouped in clusters under the 200-foot (61 m) dome. The fireplace in the atrium was enormous in scale and could accommodate logs as long as 14 feet (4.3 m).

Some early advertisements claimed over 700 rooms, but most sources today cite around 500. The main building contained six floors: the ground floor held the lobby, hotel management offices, the dining area, shops and meeting rooms; saunas and mineral baths were located on the top floor; guest rooms were built in two concentric circles around the atrium on the second through fifth floors. Rooms on the inner ring overlooked the atrium; forty 4th and 6th floor rooms had balconies into the atrium. The hotel rooms were small by today's standards. Most rooms had one or two twin beds, and did not have a private bathroom.