MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW)- The Waikiki Village Motel just re opened it’s doors after restoring it’s mid century modern charm. The new owners used historic tax credits for the project.
This hotel was built in 1963 and is now on the national register of historic places. The owners and the city are working to make more of these restorations possible and bring back pieces of myrtle beach’s past.
“For the longest period of time the folks in Myrtle Beach have not recognized the tremendous asset they have in these mid century modern mom and pop hotels,” said Robert Lewis, co-owner of Waikiki Village Motel.
Robert Lewis was born and raised in Conway. He’s been restoring historical properties for 20 years and always wanted to get his hands on a project in Myrtle Beach.
“It’s important for my generation and for younger people to understand what the golden era of Myrtle Beach was,” said Lewis.
The new owners utilized historic tax credits for the project. This hotel was the first in the city to use the Bailey Bill tax incentive, which helps owners the next time the assessor comes around after they’ve made major improvements.
“What happens in this situation, it kind of freezes that level and so you make those improvements, but you don’t have to pay that improved tax level for a number of years,” said Carol Coleman, director of the city of Myrtle Beach’s planning department.
Lewis says without those tax incentives this project wouldn’t happen, and the Waikiki is just the beginning.
“Our goal is to do a project a year for at least 5 years, and I think what that will do is going to preserve a time in history of Myrtle Beach,” said Lewis.
The city is also looking at setting up more historic districts on the south end of Ocean Boulevard and the old Broadway district.
“Kind of save those mid century modern properties that are really cool to see and are really going by the waste side,” said Coleman.
Waikiki currently has about 20 rooms finished and will have 15 to 20 more completed in the next couple of weeks. The city hopes to have boundaries for historic districts mapped out by the end of the year.
