The Western Hotel

The Western Hotel. . Built in 1949, “The Western Hotel” was designed after the typical “roadside inns” of the era. A two and a half story structure, it is an excellent example of American roadside architecture. The concrete foundation supports a concrete block structure with brick veneer. The floors are precast concrete and the roof is flat with a 12" overhang. The windows are all steel casements. The first floor is elevated six feet off the ground so the lower level could be equipped with full-sized windows. The one-story porch spans the entire front and wraps around for ten feet on the side of the building featuring very simple steel columns and railings. , Equipped with a period lobby and Art Deco check-in counter, it has two floors featuring both single and twin rooms with baths; the basement houses a large and spacious woman's dormitory that allows for communal accommodations, and a smaller men's dormitory. This hotel boasts being the first fire-proof building in the state of Indiana – a nostalgic hotel that allows visitors to step back in time upon entering its front doors. During the summer, visitors sit in the old-style gliders on the front porch chatting and exchanging messages they received from loved ones.