Waikiki Village Motel
National Register Listing
Street Address:
1500 South Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach, SC (Horry County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817726032
Description and Narrative:
The Waikiki Village Motel is located at 1500 South Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It is situated at the corner of South Ocean Boulevard and 15th Avenue South, and faces east overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, which is across the block. S. M. Johnston constructed the motel in 1963 in the Mid-Century Modern style. The two-story, L-shaped building has changed very little since its construction and is one of the remaining examples of Mid-Century Modern architecture in Myrtle Beach. One of the defining features of the motel is the Hawaiian-style hut located just off South Ocean Boulevard. The Waikiki Village Motel is significant under Criterion A in the areas of Community Planning and Development and Entertainment and Recreation. It is also significant under Criterion C for its distinctive Mid-Century Modern architecture. The building’s period of significance, 1963-1969, spans its construction at the height of Myrtle Beach’s tourist boom and the significant renovations to the property, which were completed between 1967 and 1969. While Myrtle Beach once boasted a number of “Populuxe” style motels—buildings with a design language that combined elements of popular culture with the appearance of affordable luxury—many have succumbed to destruction and redevelopment, leaving the Waikiki as one of the remaining few that still represents this idiosyncratic style. Listed in the National Register June 12, 2017.
Period of Significance:
1963 – 1969
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Entertainment/Recreation
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
June 12 2017
