Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel

[tombarnes]

Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel

The Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel, a piece of almost wonderful 1960's tiki kitsch, has been mouldering away since its closing in 2001. Long a favorite of legislators at the capitol building nearby, the motel at last came to a shuddering halt. While I would like to see certain elements of the building preserved- most notably its Mondrianesque sign, much of the complex is perhaps not worth saving. Perhaps just the main building could be incorporated into something new. I had thought that the location might prove useful for the new civil rights museum. Alas, the planners of the museum appear to have other ideas. A side-note worth pondering is that the motel was built by Dumas Milner, the former owner of the King Edward who made many "improvements" to the building which are only now being stripped away to reveal its true character. Still, this motel was an interesting period piece. I stayed there only once, for a conference when I was in high schhool. I will be in Jackson in early June and hope to take a series of pictures which I shall post here.

[tombarnes]

In the meantime, here is a thread at Abandoned Baton Rouge which has a series of pictures. The true tiki-takcy glory of the place may not be apparent to the casual observer, but it was a kick in its own way once upon a time.