FRENCH LICK, Ind. — In the midst of peak tourist season, the historic French Lick Resort got showered with what folks describe as "softball-sized" hail over the weekend.
Thankfully no one was hurt, but it did plenty of damage, particularly to one of the resort's prominent hotel buildings and a popular golf course.
Hail pelted the dome of the historic West Baden Springs Hotel for nearly a half hour during storms late Sunday afternoon, as well as the Pete Dye Golf Course.
Resort CEO Chuck Franz described seeing hail the size of his fist "falling straight down from out of the sky."
"And then you start to hear glass shattering," he said.
The hotel's atrium is now closed, after all 12 of the historic dome's glass panels sustained damage -- with softball-sized holes left from hail pummeling through the window panes.
On Monday, guests stepped up to the caution tape, getting as close as they could to take a look.
"It was constant, no let up," Franz said. "We started to get people down to the shelters, the lowest levels. We got the sirens in town -- we were evacuating the casino.”
French Lick residents told WHAS11 off-camera that their cars and homes suffered some damage, adding they've never seen hail this big in the area.
Several light posts outside the hotel building were shattered, as well.
Crews were seen working on the roof Monday afternoon to patch the holes.
"This structure goes back to 1901, so 120 years," Franz said. "You hate to lose part of a landmark like this, but I’ll tell you this, I’m so thankful nobody was hurt."
The recovery process was in full swing at the Pete Dye Golf Course on Monday morning, which was bombarded by hail Sunday night, leaving crater-like divots on the greens and fairways.
They've since recovered well, with all but the tee boxes mostly fixed.
"It shocked me that we didn’t have more damage,” Franz said.
Franz said he's counting his blessings, saying the broken pieces can and will be repaired, maintaining the building's structural integrity and immense history that people flock from across the country to see.
The golf course says it's completely back open for business, with golfers even playing on Monday.
As for the hotel’s atrium, management says the timeline for reopening is still unclear, but that all other services are up and running.
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