Myrtle Beach's Disappearing Doo-Wop Motels

[digital_sandlapper]

I have been deeply saddened by the impending end to the era of mom-and-pop "Doo-wop" motels along Ocean Boulevard and elsewhere along the Grand Strand.

Please, someone, before it's too late, take some time to photodocument these fun, wacky, and tantalizingly tacky establishments before the wrecking crews reduce them to memories. Soon, Ocean Blvd. will be a cold, corporate canyon of mega-highrises. No more playful cat-calls from frat boys or Marines to the bikini-clad girls strolling down the street. No more teenagers cruising and waving to the balconies. No more Polynesian tiki gods. No more "No Vacancies" signs. No more 25-foot tall flowering agaves. No more dance tunes blasting from poolside radios. No more hanging out on the balconies. No more squealing kids going down slides. No more "Monte Carlo" or "Starliner" or "Seabreeze" or "Royal Tahiti". No more neon. [sigh] . .

And, most tragic of all, No more character.

[monsoon]

Unfortunately most of those places have become quite rundown. When I was growing up there in the 70s, it was rare to find a hotel taller than 3 stories. Now it is rare to find one, especially on the ocean side that is this height and shorter. A lot of them were taken over by foreigners who have not kept them up and there is a lot of low life, drugs, whores, etc that are hanging around the sections where these hotels are still located. (mostly south of the Pavillion and just north of there)

Even some of the original highrises like the Breakers, the Poindexter, and the Yachtsman are highrises that attract, IMO, a very bad crowd.

[digital_sandlapper]

Unfortunately most of those places have become quite rundown. When I was growing up there in the 70s, it was rare to find a hotel taller than 3 stories. Now it is rare to find one, especially on the ocean side that is this height and shorter. A lot of them were taken over by foreigners who have not kept them up and there is a lot of low life, drugs, whores, etc that are hanging around the sections where these hotels are still located. (mostly south of the Pavillion and just north of there)

Even some of the original highrises like the Breakers, the Poindexter, and the Yachtsman are highrises that attract, IMO, a very bad crowd.

[erm1981]

I remember when i first graduated from high school and we went down to the beach. We would stay in the smaller hotels because they were more affordable. Alot of these are now going to be demolished for some bigger tower condos to go up in their place.

[gs3]

Really sad to see these types of hotels vanishing. Myrtle Beach is one of the few remaining places with so many. When you look at each of them, they have great architectural value. They all seem to be crying out for somebody like an Ian Schrager to save them.....South Beach style!

[Spartan]

I agree^

I think that MB needs to save some of them somehow. They will regret removing such a valuable part of their history for the sake of more modern tourism. That area just south of the pavillion could become part of this historic district at somepoint. People need to think to the future. Yeah they are ugly, but its still part of MB's evolution.

[monsoon]

The Doo-Wop hotels, just to put it into perspective, replaced beach houses that had been there for decades prior to that. I guess it is the natural evolution of a city such as Myrtle Beach. They kept one of these houses as a museum so that future generations will know what they looked like as the architecture was rather unique to the area. It was moved off the beach a couple of decades ago and is now located at Hwy 17 south where the road to Springmaid Beach breaks off from it.

[Spartan]

The Doo-Wop hotels, just to put it into perspective, replaced beach houses that had been there for decades prior to that. I guess it is the natural evolution of a city such as Myrtle Beach. They kept one of these houses as a museum so that future generations will know what they looked like as the architecture was rather unique to the area. It was moved off the beach a couple of decades ago and is now located at Hwy 17 south where the road to Springmaid Beach breaks off from it.

[digital_sandlapper]

Perhaps saving one of those hotels is possible then.

[monsoon]

I agree it is sad to see the transformation that Myrtle Beach is going through.

[teshadoh]

I remember the term 'motor inn' was often used, something I wasn't familiar with before. The ones we stayed at in the early 80's were affordable & in decent shape - oriented towards families. I think we often stayed in Sunside or Garden City most of the years.

Oddly - comparing to a higher end resort town, Miami Beach - there are a number of boutique hotels that also would be considered out of date, inefficient, & tacky. But these small hotels are now popular destinations for those that want to stay in South Beach but not on the main drag.

Hopefuly, some clever marketing & redesign of some of the remaining Myrtle Beach motor inns can be renovated to be boutique hotels.

[monsoon]

That is actually a good point. I remember South Beach back in the early 80s before it got that name when it was a dirty dangerous and run down place. It's been amazing transformation. Unfortunately with companies like B&C, the ones tearing down the pavillion, I don't think the same will happen in Myrtle Beach.

[digital_sandlapper]

I remember the term 'motor inn' was often used, something I wasn't familiar with before. The ones we stayed at in the early 80's were affordable & in decent shape - oriented towards families. I think we often stayed in Sunside or Garden City most of the years.

Oddly - comparing to a higher end resort town, Miami Beach - there are a number of boutique hotels that also would be considered out of date, inefficient, & tacky. But these small hotels are now popular destinations for those that want to stay in South Beach but not on the main drag.

Hopefuly, some clever marketing & redesign of some of the remaining Myrtle Beach motor inns can be renovated to be boutique hotels.