Myrtle Beach gets burst of color with new downtown look

For creators of Myrtle Beach’s newest public art installation — a striking, building-spanning painting imagined as an homage to the city’s past — the project is much larger than its 2,400-square feet.

“Murals definitely look to the future and that (feeling of) bringing community together, so we wanted this to be a place where people gather,” Stacey Lyon, an interior decorator and member of Leadership Grand Strand’s 42nd class, said Tuesday ahead of a dedication ceremony for the display at 503 9th North Avenue, which looks out onto Nance Plaza.

With its bubbling fountain, stone benches and bird’s eye view to the ocean, the downtown gathering spot is a pivot between the city’s future and challenging past.

Nance Plaza is a centerpiece of the city’s ambitious planned Arts and Innovation District that will eventually boast space for new municipal offices, a library, museums, business incubation and other amenities.

It’s home to Grand Strand Brewery and Mashburn Construction while around the corner is HTC’s Aspire Hub, a co-working space for entrepreneurs.

“To me, it seems to be the hub of what the city of Myrtle Beach really is,” said Kathy Strauss, a professional photographer and Leadership Grand Strand graduate.

Designed to match the district’s color pattern and branding, the 22-member Leadership Grand Strand team spent more than six months from design to completion, outlining on the mural of some of the city’s most distinctive elements: Golf, the Swamp Fox roller coaster, a silhouetted Springmaid pier, shag dancers and Charlie’s Place - a legendary nightclub that over its 30-year run saw performances from Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie among others.

“I love the fact that we’re remembering our history but we’re kind of pushing forward into the future,” said Diana Greene, who oversees the Leadership Grand Strand program.

The mural replaces a wall painting that first went up in 2016.

“When we talk about public art, we know that it is something that enhances our area, but its meant to been changed out over time to be fresh and new, and that’s what we did here today,” Mayor Brenda Bethune said.

This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.