Residents reminisce about Myrtle Beach Pavilion, talk hopes for property’s future

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Wednesday night was all about reminiscing about Myrtle Beach for those who attended an event dedicated to the city’s old Pavilion.

The Pavilion was a staple in the community, an amusement park located on Ninth Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard for almost 60 years.

“It was such a great time in history here in Myrtle Beach,” said Tom Lorenz, who worked at the pavilion as a teenager.

“The Pavilion was the center of Myrtle Beach. It was a place of joy and peace and happiness for so many people,” said former Myrtle Beach city council member Wayne Gray, who also worked at the Pavilion growing up.

The Friends of Chapin Memorial Library put on the event with guest speaker Egerton Burroughs, great-grandson of Pavilion co-founder Franklin G. Burroughs.

“[The Pavilion] was based on family and children, and it was a happy place. It was, until the crowd downtown changed,” Egerton Burroughs told WMBF News.

Financial struggles led to the Pavilion’s closure in 2006, which Egerton Burroughs recalls as a sad day.

Since then, the property has been a site for events like the Carolina Country Music Festival and was home to the Myrtle Beach Adventure Zipline, which closed in January. The final remnants of the zipline attraction were torn down last week.

According to Jason Greene, CEO of Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance, planners are only beginning to explore what’s next for the property.

But nothing definitive has been decided.

Although the future is unknown, those who remember the Pavilion days have high hopes for what comes next.

“We would love to see that area restored again to the beauty that we once were able to enjoy. The safety, the happiness, the fun, and all the memories,” said Lorenz.

Gray hopes whatever takes its place continues to spark joy among residents and tourists alike.

“It may not be an amusement park, or a dance hall, or an arcade center. But whatever it becomes, it can be a place that provides the same joy and happiness and peace with friends and family,” said Gray.

Egerton Burroughs said he isn’t a big part of planning for the property’s future but told WMBF News he hopes it turns into something lively and active for future generations.

Stay with WMBF NEws for updates.

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