After 22 years, a Myrtle Beach landmark is officially gone

The last reminder of the green dome that was once prominent to both tourists and locals is coming down.

Thursday morning, crews worked to remove the Palace Theatre sign almost two years after Hurricane Matthew ripped a hole in the side of the building, leading to the eventual demolition of the theater.

In October 2016, the Category 1 storm tore part of the facade off the building, leaving metal beams exposed to the highway and the theater out of commission after it was damaged by water. In March 2017, the city deemed the building “unfit for human occupancy” in a legal notice.

The notice gave Palace owners two options — repair the damages or tear the building down.

In April 2017, they chose the latter.

Recently, a former gas station on the corner of U.S. 17 and 21st Avenue North was demolished. Online records show the land where the gas station and Palace Theatre sat are both owned by The Chapin Company.

The Sun News did reach out to the company for further information on future plans for the site, but a representative was unable to comment.

Now, as the sign comes down and the property sits empty, memories of the Radio City Rockettes dancing along the Grand Strand and and big names like Kenny Rogers and Ray Charles will remain from the theater's 20-year history.

This story was originally published May 31, 2018 at 2:15 PM with the headline "After 22 years, a Myrtle Beach landmark is officially gone."