The Myrtle Beach Pavilion is closing?!?!?!

[krazeeboi]

God knows I didn't see THIS coming.

The Pavilion, a Myrtle Beach landmark for over 50 years, will be closing in September, which means this tourist season will be its final. The park hasn't really been turning much of a profit lately, according to reports. Redevelopment of the site likely will include a mix of shops, homes and tourist attractions, B&C officials have said, though they could not say whether the redevelopment will be complete by summer 2007.

I will be sad to see it go. My earliest memories of Myrtle Beach include the Pavilion, when it was really in its heyday.

[monsoon]

Indeed it is sad. Blame it on Burroughs & Chapin which owns the park which has threatened to close it for years in order to force continued favors out of the city. This time the city said "enough", so the Pavillion is gone. B&C has let the area become rundown and as a result it has been attracting an undesirable element. Maybe that was part of the plan.

[swampfox43]

B&C are nothing but evil greedy ba$tard$!! They are ripping the heart & soul out of Myrtle Beach. Nothing more, nothing less. I knew this was going to happen as it has been speculation for several years, but it's sad to get the final word.

Who goes to Myrtle Beach in January anyway? Golfers? Is this new year-round project suppose to "lure" more people to the beach in the off-season? Ummm, I don't think so!!! Heck, when I go to the beach, I want it to be warm.

The real eyesore in MB is NOT the Pavilion, it's the blocks south that have all the seedy motels. If B&C wants to clean up MB, start with those areas.

I soooooo mad right now!!

[Miesian Corners]

My brother's band played at the Magic Attic for four years in a row in the early 80s. I have great memories of going down there to hear them play.

Such a shame B&C has no real love for their hometown to do the right thing and keep the Pavillion clean and open. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins.

[sonofaque86]

that was the only reason i loved going to myrtle beach when i was younger

[gs3]

This really is sad news!!! Growing up in Alabama, we always went to the Gulf Coast beaches...they were all newer and a little boring....no personality. I remember as kid looking at photos of Myrtle Beach and they always showed the Pavillion. I would think as kid, THAT'S WHERE I WANT TO GO. Myrtle Beach had so much more character than the Gulf Coast we were going to. I didn't visit Myrtle Beach until I was an adult, and the first time, fell in love. It had the feel of an Atlantic City....all the character that I had missed all those years as a kid going to the Gulf.

This makes me sick.

Can someone not step in and save it for it's historical value???? It opened in 1948.

Alot of the Myrtle Beach character is going to be lost.

[Noneck_08]

Im going to miss the pavilion. It was always one of the spots we hit up when we were down in MB. The big roller coaster is a nice landmark coming into town of 501. Then around the curve you run right into the beach and strip. That really is a landmark for MB, I hate to see it go. But good things don't last forever.

[monsoon]

Some Pavillion Pics that I took in 2004

[waccamatt]

Burroughs and Chapin cares about NOTHING, but raping and pillaging the environment and making as much money as they possibly can. I have fought their entry into the Columbia market and avoid their properties when I make the rare venture to the Grand Strand. B&C represents everything bad and nothing good about capitalism.

[Charleston native]

This is just sickening. Again, more SC idiocy at its finest, though it really stems more from greed rather than stupidity. How can the owners just sit and watch a SC institution...no, an American institution fade away like this?!?!

When I was in my church's youth group, we always made a trip to Myrtle Beach, always ending our weekend with a day at the Pavilion. I have many teenage memories here, and I always like to go there and remember some great times. This is really unbelieveable as well. I never thought the Pavilion would close. It's just mind-boggling.

B&C has done a terrible job of upkeep and developing the area into what should be a first-class tourist destination. I also agree with swampfox...those seedy motels have really turned the place into an almost Third World beach shack. Those places need to be cleaned up, but naturally, B&C refuses to do so. I'm surprised a more prominent developer hasn't run them off the map in the city. Does the company hold a monopoly on most of Myrtle Beach? Maybe with the Pavilion closing, B&C will sell it to a better company. Then they can run B&C out of the market, buy those shady areas, and transform downtown MB into a pristine entertainment district.

[swampfox43]

Does B&C hold a monopoly on most of Myrtle Beach? Maybe with the Pavilion closing, B&C will sell it to a better company. Then they can run B&C out of the market, buy those shady areas, and transform downtown MB into a pristine entertainment district.

Yes, B&C and the Mafia have a stronghold on the majority of MB.

They are going to bulldoze a historical landmark, for another cookie-cutter mall of shops, hotels & condos. Just what they need in Myrtle Beach, right? That'll sure bring in those January tourists, right? NOT!!!!

Property values have sadly sealed the fate of the beloved seaside amusement park. The combination of sounds, the smells and the screams from the rides, all mixed in with the salt air and sounds of the ocean are pure Americana at it's best. An experience every child should be able to appreciate. In fact, at age 45, I still enjoy it and I know of many people older than myself that do to.

Being an amusement park historian, I will say this is another very sad day for the ever diminishing seaside amusement park. At one time, every coastline in practically every state in America was graced with a beautiful seaside amusement park and wooden coaster. Now, the 1966 Swamp Fox coaster (at Family Kingdom Amusement Park) will be the only east coasts wooden coaster between Key West & Wildwood, New Jersey. How much longer has this park got before it hits the wrecking ball?? I have a feeling it's days are numbered as well.

B&C will not admit it, but they will eventually realize they have made a mistake. Unfortunately, it will be too late by then. The Pavilion was a MB icon. It's pictured in practically every brochure, billboard and commercial about MB. The Pavilion IS Myrtle Beach. Don't they realize this?

There is nothing else like this anywhere on the east coast? Yes, the Jersey shore still has it's fabulous boardwalks and amusement piers, and there will always be Coney Island (which is making a huge comeback). But there was only ONE Myrtle Beach Pavilion. History & nostalgia obviously mean nothing to these jerks!

Some call it progress. Call it what you want I say. Nothing but pure greed has brought an end to an era..........

I am sure many of you that read this do not feel the significance of this loss in the same manner that I do. Amusement parks are my passion, my hobbie. At one time, the US coastline had more than 100 coasters lined along it's sandy shores. Can you imagine all the excitement and fun? Now, there are about 5, and it keeps shrinking. Just last year, Panama City Beach lost the historical Miracle Strip Amusement Park and 1963 wooden coaster for a condo project. When will it end? This was an important era in American history.

It's sad to see it all go.

[Charleston native]

Check out this quote from Burroughs:

"It's a tough day," he said, the words catching in his throat. "But we will have better days, and change is always good."

I never bought into that credo from the frickin' Disney movie The Lion King. Change is not always good, especially when that change has occurred due to severe neglect. Read through some of the other articles in The Sun News, and you'll see that some business owners completely blame B&C for this closing. They said that the company never invested any money into the park. They just let it fall apart. It really is shameful to let a SC icon such as this fall by the wayside.

[swampfox43]

Our local news in Charlotte stated the Pavilion was unprofitable. This is a real copout if you ask me. Part of the problem may be neglect. The Pavilion owners have let the place slide over the past 3-5 years. I rode the Hurricane coaster on opening day in 2000. It was wonderful! They have barely maintained this coaster since then. It was so rough when I rode it in 2004, it nearly cracked my spine. I will not ride it when I return this year. I have a friend who designs wooden coasters and they need yearly TLC to keep them rideable.

Maybe instead of bulldozing the Pavilion they could hire a new management team to run the Pavilion so that it WILL make a profit. There are amusement parks similar in size to the Pavilion that are open even less days a year that are turning a profit. I am in the amusement business so I know this for a fact. Good management will work wonders for any business.

Obviously the Pavilion lacked good management and now they are using this as a reason to get rid of it.

Shame on you B&C. You are the DEVIL IN DISGUISE!

BTW, those are absolutely beautiful photos monsoon. I'm will be going soon to document this piece of history. I hope I can get pictures that pretty.

[krazeeboi]

I think I'll go to the Pavilion and have at it for its final hoorah sometime this spring/summer.

[NCMike1981]

[swampfox43]

Everyone interested should sign the PETITION to "Save the Pavilion".

It's a long shot, and I doubt it will do any good but at least it's something.

==========================

A quote from an article reads: "T'was a time when a trip to the seashore was a special opportunity to get away from "normal life" and relax in a scenic and peaceful environment or stroll along experiencing unusual and exciting things.

But no more. Ocean front areas are only good for cheaply built condos and pretentious "upscale" shopping plazas hawking the same overpriced crap you can get anywhere. Why do people spend their precious vacation time and money traveling to places that look exactly like the places they left? This is what will become of the area that once graced an American tradition, the Myrtle Beach Pavilion."

==========================

[waccamatt]

Burroughs and Chapin doesn't care; all they care about is getting rich.

[Spartan]

We had a thread about this a couple of years ago, so this is not just out of nowhere. Its been in the works for a while. At that time they were talking about some sort of hotel wiht an indoor roller coaster, or one that went around the exterior of the building. I personally think this move will take away what little charm is left in the old part of MB. But hey, lets put another highrise hotel/condo combo and a Wings. Myrtle Beach could sure use a few more of those.

[krazeeboi]

^Right.

[thefuture]

Here is the home page for the pavilion

[RestedTraveler]

God knows I didn't see THIS coming.

The Pavilion, a Myrtle Beach landmark for over 50 years, will be closing in September, which means this tourist season will be its final. The park hasn't really been turning much of a profit lately, according to reports. Redevelopment of the site likely will include a mix of shops, homes and tourist attractions, B&C officials have said, though they could not say whether the redevelopment will be complete by summer 2007.

I will be sad to see it go. My earliest memories of Myrtle Beach include the Pavilion, when it was really in its heyday.

This just totally bites.

[SouthJersey7]

That is a shame. I haven't been there but the pictures remind me of Ocean City, NJ. I'm sure it's going to put a dent in the liveliness and pedestrian* feel of MB which makes it doubly sad.

*I mean pedestrian in a positive sense.

[jfl25]

This is real heartbreaking the Pavilion is the essence of Myrtle Beach.

[teshadoh]

Not a big fan of Myrtle Beach now - but as a kid, the Pavillion was the place to go in Myrtle Beach. It is sad to see it go...

[digital_sandlapper]

This is sickening news!

The only character that MB has, demolished? No way! The city fathers, locals, out-of-state tourists, and even regional and state movers and shakers will surely come to the aid of the Pavilion and see that it is saved. Don't you think there's room for optimism?

With all the emotion invested in the slice of S.C. real estate, you can bet the Sun News and other newspapers aren't going to let this human interest story die--Save the Pavilion!