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Dining facilities in 2007
Hotel exterior in 2007
Restored dome in 2007 |
Hotel Rehabilitation
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LOCATION |
West Baden Springs, Indiana |
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DATE BUILT |
1902, with later alterations |
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DEVELOPER |
WBSH Acquisitions LLC |
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COMPLETION DATE |
June 2007 |
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TOTAL REHABILITATION COST |
$97 million |
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FEDERAL HISTORIC TAX CREDITS |
Approximately $19 million |
PROJECT OVERVIEW
MacRostie Historic Advisors LLC served as the historic tax credit consultant for WBSH Acquisitions, LLC in the rehabilitation of West Baden Springs Hotel, a complex composed of seventeen buildings, sites, and structures. Originally constructed as a luxury hotel, the campus of buildings had been altered over time to house a Jesuit retreat and a university. The campus closed in 1982 and fell into disrepair.
The rehabilitation returned the complex to its historic opulence as a 240-guestroom luxury hotel and spa. Initial work focused on stabilizing the structure of the main building and restoring the dome to its original grandeur. The hotel's Byzantine-style towers were re-built based upon historic evidence, as were the exterior scalloped parapets. Interior decorative finishes on the ground and first floor and in other selected areas were also restored. Additional work mainly focused on rehabilitating the upper floors as guest room facilities and creating new guest rooms, a guest lobby, and dining facilities on the first floor. The north extension was rehabilitated into spa facilities on the lower level, with the first and second floor rehabilitated as ballroom and conference space.
MacRostie Historic Advisors worked closely with the project team to develop a scope of work compatible with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, prepared and submitted the required documentation for the state and federal historic tax credit programs, and secured the necessary approvals from the State Historic Preservation agency (Indiana Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology) and the National Park Service.