Soon the Cook family, devoted preservationists who themselves led the restoration of many Indiana buildings, joined the cause and committed more than $600 million dollars to not only save West Baden Springs Hotel but also French Lick Springs Hotel. Seeing West Baden Springs Hotel in a state of ruin devastated the group, whose mission is saving such cherished properties.
As with any great comeback story, it all started with people who refused to give up – local volunteers and the folks at Indiana Landmarks. By the mid-1990s, French Lick Spring Hotel, although still in operation, was a mere shell of its former glory and the abandoned West Baden Springs Hotel was literally crumbling to the ground.
