FRENCH LICK, Ind. — One of Indiana's most majestic sites will reopen Wednesday evening.
French Lick Resort announced Tuesday that the atrium of the West Baden Springs Hotel will reopen at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Several glass panels in the 12,000 square foot roof over the atrium were damaged by hailstones during a storm on June 25.
While the rest of the resort remained open, the atrium has been closed while crews work on repairs.
In a social media post Monday, the resort said the atrium's reopening would happen while repairs continued, sharing photos of coverings created by engineers and the facilities team that will allow cosmetic repairs to continue once the atrium is opened.
The coverings will remain in place while the 12 glass panels are replaced, the resort said Tuesday. Each of the trapezoidal panels is 42 feet long, measuring 22 feet across at the outer edge and 12 feet at the more narrow inner edge.
"In each one of those panels, there are 77 glass panes, and they're different sizes and shapes," CEO Chuck Franz said.
Franz said there were clay tiles on the roof that were also damaged, but the girders and the rest of the dome are structurally sound.
Business continued at the hotel despite the closure of the atrium. While dining service will still be delayed by a few days, the resort said cocktail service and live music in the atrium will resume Wednesday.
"The experience of West Baden will be as close to normal as possible," Franz said. "Walking in that structure is just awe-inspiring. It's still going to be awe-inspiring. It'll have a different look at the top here for a period of time."
The resort's golf courses also saw significant damage from the hailstorm, with the fairways and greens at both the Donald Ross and Pete Dye courses pocked with holes from the hail.