When it came to the restoration of West Baden and French Lick Springs Hotels in the mid-2000s, we went big. Real big. Here are some of the numbers behind the jaw-dropping transformation of the hotels:
3 Million
Pounds of structural steel required to reinforce West Baden Springs Hotel in the early phase of restoration. The building had weakened from years of neglect, causing a collapse of one of the outside walls in 1991.
465,000
Pounds of shingles (12 layers) that crews removed from the roof of West Baden Springs Hotel. These were replaced by lighter shingles that weighed only 65,000 total pounds. Talk about a weight coming off your shoulders.
58,000
Number of West Baden Springs Hotel tours given to guests by the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana during a two-year span from 1996-98. This was during initial phase of renovation, when basic structural upgrades were made to the building — it wasn’t until a few years later when Cook Group purchased it and took the restoration further by fully renovating it to its original use as a hotel. Even though the public couldn’t access the entire hotel at this time, there were still thousands of curious guests wanting a peek inside at the dome and some of the other public areas.
13,000
Gallons of paint used in Phase 1 of the West Baden Springs Hotel restoration — along with 7,899 light bulbs and 141 miles of electrical wiring. Again, this was just in the initial renovation phase, before even more extensive work was done to the guestroom floors. A crew of more than 600 workers tackled this massive undertaking.
250
Number of volunteers who helped plant flowers and bulbs in the rebuilt West Baden Springs Hotel gardens during the initial renovation phase.
19,000
Weight in pounds of each of the Moorish-style towers placed on the West Baden Springs Hotel roof — the cherry on top of the sundae of the restored hotel. It required a heavy-lift helicopter nicknamed “Bubba” to lift and lower these 47-foot-tall towers.
1,200
Feet of scalloped parapet wall that were re-installed on the exterior of West Baden Springs Hotel. This was needed to accurately restore the hotel to its original look when it was built in 1902, as the decorative element had been removed during the era when the Society of the Jesuits inhabited the building and used it as their seminary.
28,000
Hours spent planning and implementing the restoration of French Lick Springs Hotel by Conrad Schmitt Studios, Inc., who were commissioned to restore the hotel’s decorative elements. Their ornamental upgrades included 1,900 gallons of paint and hundreds of feet of multi-layered stencils in the two-story lobby.
$64,000
Price tag for the 23k gold leafing used on the exterior of French Lick Springs Hotel. In total, more than $230,000 worth of gold leafing was used on interior surfaces throughout the resort, most notably within the French Lick Springs Hotel lobby.
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5 Months
Time required to hand-dig the tunnel on the lower level of French Lick Springs Hotel, connecting the lower lobby to Pluto’s Pizzeria. A new feature to the renovated hotel, it’s believed that the Indiana limestone on the walls of this tunnel — you can reach out and touch it as you walk through — formed the foundation to the original French Lick Springs Hotel property built in 1845.
$600 million
The total investment made by Cook Group, led by preservationists Bill and Gayle Cook, during the lengthy process of restoring French Lick and West Baden Springs Hotels and uniting them under the French Lick Resort umbrella. It was the largest privately funded restoration project in Indiana, and one of the biggest in the country.
1.1 Million
This is maybe the best number of all. Each year, French Lick Resort draws 1.1 million business and leisure guests to French Lick and West Baden Springs. (In normal, non-covid times, at least.) The Cooks restored these hotels so guests could enjoy them for years to come. We hope you get the chance soon to visit and see this “Save of the Century” for yourself.
