Center of it All: This well-known view of the downtown oceanfront district between Ninth Avenue North and Eighth Avenue North remained virtually unchanged from the 1950s through 2006, the year the Pavilion was closed and the arcade building torn down.
Grande Dame: Near present day Porcher Drive and Poinsett Road in Myrtle Beach, the Ocean Forest Hotel (1930–1974) was said to be the finest on the East Coast between New York City and Miami.
Bustling Downtown: Myrtle Beach was a busy place in the 1930s, especially here at the corner of Main Street and Broadway. Snow White Laundry and Dry Cleaning is pictured on the left. The twin-peaked building in the distance was the city’s first police station and City Hall. The Chapin Company store is pictured in the foreground on the right. Some of these old buildings still stand today.
Circa 1938: A view of the Myrtle Beach boardwalk at Ninth Ave North. The humble beginnings of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion amusement park may be seen as well as the Ocean Front Tavern, still there today and now known as the Oceanfront Bar & Grill.
75 Years Young
Hugo’s Wrath: The Myrtle Beach area, including the Boardwalk in front of the old Pavilion, suffered extensive damage after 1989’s Hurricane Hugo.
Cruising the ’vard: Cruising Ocean Boulevard has been a popular pastime for summer visitors for decades. The well-known Pavilion arcade and upstairs club, The Magic Attic, remained a part of the view from 1948 until 2006, when it was leveled.
The “Dinos”: Dino Thompson (left) and Dino Drosas are both longtime Myrtle Beach residents and restaurateurs, owning the Flamingo Grill and Cagney’s.
Myrtle Beach Native: Lifetime resident Gina Brown remembers Myrtle Beach as a quiet little town even into the 1970s.
Leading the Way: Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes beams in the abundant sunshine at Plyler Park, adjacent to the SkyWheel, which is just one of a half-dozen attractions and improvements to the city completed during his tenure.
Wide, Sandy Beaches: Nearly 60 miles of uninterrupted sandy shoreline make up the Grand Strand, and Myrtle Beach is its heart and soul. When polled, visitors to the area consistently say “the beach” is their primary reason for visiting.
A Changing Skyline: Offering an impressive array of towers and mid-rise condo buildings, the downtown Myrtle Beach skyline is beginning to rival that of other great resort cities. There are approximately 100,000 rooms available in Horry Country, each sleeping two to six visitors.
