By Joy Neighbors
Dateline:
July 8, 1875
 |
| Lillian Sinclair |
She
lived a privileged life as the only child of Lee W. and Caroline Precise
Sinclair. Lillian Sinclair was born on Thursday, July 8, 1875 in
Salem, Indiana. Her parents were wealthy; her father had owned a woolen factory
in Salem, and served one term in the Indiana House of Representatives before
purchasing the West Baden Hotel in 1888. Sinclair changed the hotel’s name to
West Baden Springs and immediately began to capitalize on the mineral waters
he touted as having medicinal powers – a cure for multiple ailments. He also
turned the hotel into an elegant retreat with each room heated by steam
and lighted with electricity. Life was good for Lillian, a child of wealth and
privilege.
Then
in 1901, the hotel caught fire and burned to the ground along with several
other buildings. Sinclair was devastated; he felt that he was too old to begin
again and was ready to throw in the towel. But Lillian rallied her father,
convincing him that this was his opportunity to build the hotel he had always
wanted.
 |
| Construction of West Baden Springs Hotel |
Sinclair
began to share Lillian’s enthusiasm and decided to build a circular hotel
topped with the largest dome in the world. And he
wanted it completed within one year of the anniversary of the fire. Lillian
supported him in his dream and enjoyed the fact that the hotel became known
as “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” In fact, the hotel flourished and “the movers and shakers” of the early 20th century flocked to the resort to partake of the
waters and enjoy the amenities.
 |
| Charles Rexford, Caroline Sinclair, Lillian Rexford & Lee Sinclair | |
On
October 5, 1911, Lillian married Charles Barton Rexford. For the next five
years, life was good for Lillian and Charles. Then on September 7,
1916, Lillian’s beloved father died. She and her mother were grief-stricken as
more than 1,500 people attended Lee Sinclair’s funeral, held in the atrium of
his beloved hotel.
 |
| Rookwood Fireplace in Atrium |
Lillian
and her husband inherited the hotel, and she was determined to continue the
modest improvements her father had begun in 1913. She and Charles decided to
make the renovations more elaborate and based their ideas on creating a Roman
influence throughout the hotel and grounds. The four numbered springs were
named after Roman gods and goddesses, more than 12-million terrazzo tiles were
installed on the atrium floor by Italian craftsmen, 24 six-story columns were
placed in the atrium and covered with canvas painted to resemble marble, and
the huge fireplace in the atrium was resurfaced by the famous Rookwood Pottery from
Cincinnati. It now depicted a German forest with the hotel in the background and
Sprudel keeping watch on guests.
 |
| WW1 Army Nurses at West Baden Hotel |
Restorations
became even more extensive and took two years to complete. By 1918, the U.S.
had entered World War One. In the patriotic spirit of the day, Lillian offered
the hotel to the U.S. government to be used as an Army hospital for wounded
American soldiers. She apparently was not aware that Charles had taken out a $500,000 loan to assist with remodeling
costs. Without an income, the hotel, and the Rexford’s, slid closer to financial
ruin. After she discovered the loan, Lillian’s marriage fell apart.
 |
| Ed Ballard |
In
1918, Lillian met Lieutenant Harold Cooper, a wounded soldier recuperating at
the hotel/hospital and fell in love. She divorced Rexford in 1922 and married Cooper in
1923. That same year, she sold the hotel to Ed Ballard, who had made the
original loan to Charles Rexford. Lillian could not pay off the loan, so the
hotel sold to Ballard for $500,000 in cash and $500,000 in forgiveness of the
original loan.
Once
the sale was final, Lillian and Harold moved to California to begin their lives
over. The Coopers did not have children and Lillian spent the next 30 years
living with Cooper in the Golden State.
Lillian
died on August 16, 1949 in Santa Monica, California. Her body was returned to
Salem, Indiana to be placed in the Sinclair family mausoleum in Crown Hill
Cemetery. She was 74 years old.
