Happy Sweet 16 to
French Lick Casino! Like any other
teenager, you’ve changed quite a bit and been through a few phases since
officially opening on November 3, 2006. How ‘bout a look back through the
years?
Remember this? There used to be a driving range and tennis
complex in this area prior to construction of the casino.
Of course, who could forget the original boat design?
Indiana law at that time required casinos to be constructed on water and
reflect a nautical theme. The steamboat style design came complete with decorative
smokestacks and a paddle wheel. But the real excitement was inside where gaming
returned to French Lick for the first time since 1949, when
state officials raided and shut down the town’s illegal gambling operations.
The casino project overlapped with the restoration of French
Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel, as well as the addition of the
Event Center. After a brief closure to complete renovations, French Lick
Springs Hotel reopened to guests on November 3, 1996, the same day the casino
opened.
Restoring French Lick and West Baden Springs Hotels was obviously
a mammoth effort. But it had been a long time since something of this scope had
been built from the ground up on resort grounds.
Construction taking shape inside, with more than 1,000 slot machines just waiting for their first lucky players.
When Indiana law changed in 2007 to allow for land-based casinos, the boat-themed exterior design was short lived. The casino's facade received a facelift to complement the style of the adjacent French Lick Springs Hotel. And look closely at the top of the hotel, and you can see how the 21st century casino pays homage to the area's early gambling history. A small dome was added, mirroring a similar feature from the once-famous but long-gone Brown Hotel. In the early and mid 1900s, the Brown was a hotspot for underground gambling — and conveniently located right across the road for French Lick Springs Hotel guests who visited here hoping to strike it rich.
The casino dome was made and installed by the same company that recreated the four Moorish style towers installed at the newly renovated West Baden Springs Hotel.
An interior view of the dome after the follow-up renovations, which also increased the casino's interior by about 20 percent.
Congrats to an eventful first 16 years, thanks for always being there when we need a little excitement, and let's keep the good times rolling together.
