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Ocean Forest Hotel Closes, Reconstruction Planned

Staff Report / MBlocal.org

**Ocean Forest Hotel to Close Amid Rising Costs**

The Ocean Forest Hotel, a landmark of Myrtle Beach, will close its doors this Sunday. Albert Oliphant, the hotel sales manager, attributed the closure to rising costs and an inability to meet the requirements of the hotel's insurers. Plans for the hotel's reconstruction will be announced in the future. It is expected that the hotel will retain its modern, two-story motel-type wings and other additions.

The Ocean Forest Hotel was conceived in the early 1920s as part of Arcady, a larger vision to establish Myrtle Beach as a top-tier resort destination. The project was inspired by Albert Ainsworth of New York, with input from John T. Woodside of Greenville, one of the early South Carolina cotton manufacturers. The Woodsides aimed to make Myrtle Beach the most luxurious resort in the South, leading to the creation of both the Ocean Forest Hotel and the Ocean Forest Country Club, which is now the International Country Club.

In related news, the Chapin Library in Myrtle Beach has launched a new online database called Digital Reel, allowing access to local newspapers from 1938 to 2017. This initiative, funded by a $30,000 grant from the Chapin Foundation, aims to simplify the process of researching Myrtle Beach's history. The digitization project transformed microfilm archives into a searchable online format, greatly improving accessibility for genealogy researchers and individuals seeking old articles or photographs.

Source: Myrtle Beach City Government

Source Type: Gov

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Sep 17, 2024 at 5:30 PM

Gov