3 landmarks gone — The Pavilion, the mall and Palace Theatre. 65 acres now sit empty

Towering high above Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, the Hurricane roller coaster sped by with riders screaming in delight. The log flume and the Haunted Hotel were staples at the hometown amusement park.

A large sign reading the Pavilion Amusement Park lit up the sky. But in 2006 the park sat dark and quiet, a decision made by the owners, Burroughs and Chapin

Now, the 10-acre lot is empty apart from a ropes and zipline course that sits on a corner of the property, which is used throughout the year for various festivals, including the Carolina Country Music Festival.

The lot isn't the only empty land in city limits. The former Myrtle Square Mall site has sat empty since the early 2000s and, recently, the land that once housed the Palace Theatre is now empty after the building was damaged by Hurricane Matthew and torn down.

All three pieces of land are owned by Myrtle Beach Farms or the Chapin Company. Myrtle Beach Farms is affiliated with Burroughs and Chapin, but the Chapin Company is its own business, having a few mutual shareholders with Burroughs and Chapin.

In total, about 65 acres of land are empty in the City of Myrtle Beach, online land records.

Burroughs and Chapin declined to comment on the properties, saying they do not comment on future plans for vacant properties, according to public relations director for LHWH Advertising Jay Rodriguez.

According to online land records, the Pavilion site was valued near $8.5 million in 2014, and the old mall site was valued at more than $11.1 million in 2015, online land records show. Both plots are owned by Myrtle Beach Farms.

The former Palace Theatre site is broken up into three different plots, two of which are owned by the Chapin Company and one by Myrtle Beach Farms. In total, the land is worth about $6 million, land records show.

Two other undeveloped lots in the city are owned by Myrtle Beach Farms, located at the corner of 21st Avenue North and Grissom Parkway and the intersection of South Ocean Boulevard and Springmaid Boulevard, online land records show.

The Pavilion

Redevelopment has been a prominent conversation between city council members, with a focus on the Superblock area of the city, which has been a controversial topic as council decides the best fit for the property.

"The proposal for the Superblock could compliment very well a project on the Pavilion site, we just need to know what it is and how to get there," city spokesman Mark Kruea said. "It is kind of a chicken and egg thing. Is the Superblock not redeveloping because the Pavilion site isn't being developed? Or is it the other way around."

Currently, renderings for the Superblock property show a new children's museum and library, with space for classrooms for a potential agreement with Coastal Carolina University.

Council members have been trying to decide the fate of the property since January 2017 when former Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes proposed plans for the area.

Now, council is seeking a consultant to create a master plan for the Pavilion area, which will include downtown Myrtle Beach.

"Had the Pavilion site redeveloped five years ago would we still have concerns about the Superblock?," Kruea asked. "Probably not. The private sector would have jumped in and found that synergy with whatever had gone on the Pavilion site. At this point we've got two spots that need help so I think doing one will help the other, regardless of which goes first."

For former Myrtle Beach Councilman Wayne Gray, the Pavilion site should be used as an anchor to spur development on the south end of the city.

"I mean, we would argue that it is still the most challenged area in terms of experiencing development or redevelopment," Gray said. "And I think that what inhibits that area from experiencing the redevelopment that we were experiencing in other parts, is there is this under-utilization and uncertainty of the Pavilion site."

According to Carol Colemen, director of the Myrtle Beach Planning Department, the city has been working to fix up the downtown area by burying utilities and making improvements to Plyler Park.

"I think the long-term, it's gonna take a team effort to go forward," Coleman said. "I mean, we can't put everything on Burroughs and Chapin, and I don't think they expect the city to step up and do a whole lot. We've played and invested a whole lot into making the downtown improvements that we put in place so far."

At this time, Kruea said he is not aware of any plans that Burroughs and Chapin has been working on for any of the properties.

Myrtle Square Mall and the Palace Theatre

The former Myrtle Square Mall site, located at 27th Avenue North and North Kings Highway, has sat vacant since the early 2000s when the mall closed.

Part of the lot is used for parking, with weeds sticking out of cracks in the pavement. Bright orange barricades block some of the entrances to the land, remnants of past events that were held on site.

Now, Rockin' Jump, a trampoline park, and the Children's Museum of South Carolina sit on part of the land. The other part of the 37 acres is occasionally used for events such as the Myrtle Beach Jeep Jam.

Despite the distance between the Superblock and the old mall site, Coleman said the two areas are tied together "because a lot of the storefronts in the Superblock area became vacant when they built the first mall, which is now gone. So, you see that it's a cycle, and I think our downtown worries are no different than a lot of the small towns in the area and in the country really."

But for city officials, the time between developments on the two properties has not hindered how city-owned property is developed. Rather, Kruea said, both the city and Burroughs and Chapin would like to wait for a good fit for both tourists and residents.

"Absolutely there are great opportunities for new, exciting projects inside the city," Kruea said. "Look at Topgolf. There's a piece of property that was vacant until recently that's a B&C property, and they found the right fit for that location. It adds to our mix of activities for visitors and residents. You just have to find the right idea at the right time."

As for the Palace site, further plans for the land near Broadway at the Beach have not yet been disclosed.

The city and Burroughs and Chapin

Burroughs and Chapin has played a key role in shaping the development of Myrtle Beach, contributing to properties such as Broadway at the Beach, Grande Dunes and Coastal Grand Mall.

"They have contributed to the growth of the city for decades," Kruea said. "They gave the land under which most of the churches inside of the city sits upon. So the company has been both generous and mindful of what it takes to make a successful city."

But how much of an influence does the city have on the private properties?

According to Coleman, the city can give their opinion over what they would like to see on the land.

"It's really more up to them than to us. We've got zoning in place, we've got the ability to go forward and do things, so when they're comfortable with it, when the time is right, I'd have no doubt that they will," Coleman said. "It's in their best interest to do something that's going to benefit them."

This story was originally published June 6, 2018 at 2:23 PM with the headline "3 landmarks gone — The Pavilion, the mall and Palace Theatre. 65 acres now sit empty."