Friday, September 25, 2020

Sun-N-Sand Makes Endangered List

The old Sun-N-Sand building made the list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historical Places for 2020."  The list is created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  NTHP states on its website:

A Midcentury Modern building in the heart of downtown Jackson near the State Capitol, the Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel was once the home away from home for Mississippi legislators as well as a gathering place for civil rights activists—most notably the multi-racial, women-led initiative “Wednesdays in Mississippi.”

The building, which features metal screens, large expanses of glass, and a colorful sign, has sat vacant and deteriorating for nearly two decades. The State of Mississippi purchased the Sun-n-Sand in 2019 and plans to demolish it for a parking lot, but preservationists are advocating for reuse, emphasizing the economic benefits of rehabilitation. Website.

Good luck.  There is a reason no one wants to purchase the building.

 First up is the legendary Sun-n-Sand.  The favorite place for horse-trading in the after hours when the legislature was in session.  If only the walls could talk or even whisper, oh the stories they could tell.













The hotel's 2001 closing was lamented by many.








43 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was a great place to pick up older women.

Anonymous said...

The "preserve everything" people need to put their money where their mouth is. It would be a travesty to issue state bonds to preserve this hunk of junk, and nobody in the private sector in their right mind would put a dime in it.

Anonymous said...

Economic benefits???? Anyone who thinks that run down building in the ghetto has any value has obviously never been down there

Anonymous said...

Our "shrink the government" state Republican leadership has acquired more land and built more buildings downtown over the last 20 years than the democrats did over the last 150 years. Sun and Sand, the funeral home, the new Supreme Court building, the DOT monstrosity, and several others, and yet we still can't house DOR in the capital city and we have several other departments who have moved to the burbs.

Anonymous said...

That newspaper makes me seriously nostalgic for 2002.

Anonymous said...

On the way to work this morning, I drove past it and thought "what an eyesore!"

Anonymous said...

Bulldoze it.......take it back to green space.

map maker said...

I remember it very well and did a load business there. Nothing that special worth spending millions of public money on a run down building in a run down town

Anonymous said...

They should buy it with the funds from the booming Farish St. Entertainment District funds. They have to have some left over, don they?

Anonymous said...

Always wondered about the "Sand" part of Sun N Sand. Did a little reading and learned the hotel had a Polynesian theme. Also learned about "googie" architecture.

Anonymous said...

I had no idea Brenda Scott considered the Sun-N-Sand nostalgic during it's last years.

That fact alone speak's volumes . . . that even by 2002 . . . this motel was not what it once had been.

Anonymous said...

That building needs to be razed and a new building erected so more business can come to Jackson.

Anonymous said...

I have never understood why a cheap motel built in the 50's is a national treasure. It has no architectural value, it's ugly, and has enough asbestos to kill 1000 people with cancer. Just let the state tear it down.

Anonymous said...

" so more business can come to Jackson".

Sorry 3:44 PM.

I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

2:43 - you make a good argument EXCEPT for you blaming it on our "republican leadership". The requirements of purchasing and/or leasing most of these building lies on the shoulders of State Senator DAVID BLOUNT (D-Hinds). Granted, why the hell Delbert Hosemann (???-Hinds) named him chairman of the public property committee is in question, except that we all know Delbert is not a Republican at heart, but a big government narcissist.

It was David Blount who put the requirements in to purchase the funeral home -that has no historic value - and added the requirement that the MS Dept Archives and History (of course which is run by his wife, Katie Blount) that they have to approve any changes to the building -- ignoring the fact that this is not anything that should be under the control, influence or anything else of the MDAH. He is also behind the purchasing of every building he can find downtown that is empty, thus helping his 'business' of real estate to take empty office space off the market.

To preserve the S&S is ridiculous. To finally purchase rather than continuing leasing the parking spaces was probably a financially good deal, if you accept the fact that the state should be in the business of providing parking spaces for all its employees. (The federal government doesn't do that for its employees at the McCoy Federal Building - they get to rent spaces wherever they can find them.) For some reason the state thinks this is a perk that should be paid for by the state while leaving the private citizen up to themselves to find somewhere to park while trying to 'visit' with its government being in the Woolfolk, Sillers, or State Capitol -- where all the available spaces are taken up by the elected officials or staff that are receiving their bi-weekly checks.

All those that were moaning and groaning over the S&S a few months ago were claiming that there were several - dozens even - that wanted the property to develop. They petitioned and got a six month period to make a proposal before this dilapidated building was razed. Of course, all those claims disappeared into thin air unless they were supported with massive state and federal subsidies. Why? Because there is no commercial value to this property as it exists.

And, despite all these claims, this is nothing but a late 1950's motel that happened to be built somewhere not along a state highway. The world is full of them - not necessarily with the same tails (sic) involved, but similar ones.

Anonymous said...

Primetime could buy it

Happy Times Are Here Again!!!! said...

This alone will revitalize downtown and may even bring tourists and convention visitors from around the world. It may also fix the streets, water meters, water, and crime problems overnight.

Woo hoo!

Fucking morons. Stupid is as stupid does.

Anonymous said...

Endangered? There are motels that rent by the hour all along I-55.

Anonymous said...

Keep the sign and make it a statue to the memory of the place. I think its a cool sign of the times back then. Tear the building down..I’m pretty sure there is no General Sun or Sand that fought in the Civil War.

Anonymous said...

Good grief....there are roaches in that place bigger than the eagle on the Capitol Building. Clear it out and move on.

Anonymous said...


Can we at least preserve the few remaining Stuckey's first ?

No doubt some legendary Legislative poolside drunk fiestas changed Mississippi History, but most of us "boomers" can relate to cheap souvenirs and pecan logs from any Stuckey's .


Anonymous said...

Stuckey's is well on the way back....outside of Jackson of course. Follow the grand daughter on Linked-In. Stuckey's is trending up.

Anonymous said...

Save the sign and put it in a museum somewhere. Demolish the the building and put in a city park.

Anonymous said...

Better to keep the S&S than Andrew....

Ghost of Ellis Bodron said...

I'm trying to remember - Are there any other whore-houses owned and preserved by the State Archives fellows?

And you people thought there was only ONE zoo in Jackson.

Anonymous said...

Strike a match.

Anonymous said...

The estimated final cost of the renovation of the Wright and Ferguson funeral home is over 11 million dollars. Talk about a waste of taxpayer dollars!

Anonymous said...

@8:17 PM - Yes, that would be the capitol building.

Anonymous said...

What is the sales price? Square footage? I’ll buy it!

Anonymous said...

Instead of spending tax money to renovate a building that will also cost taxpayers millions to maintain, get abstate university to 3D scan the entire structure, create a VR replica of it as it is today. And then recreate a virtual replica of the motel as it once was. Make the Virtual Sun and Sand free to the public. It will cost very little to maintain the virtual museum amd it will last forever as long as someone keeps a backup of the files.

Do the same thing with all of these places that they want to waste billions preserving.

Anonymous said...

Good comment @4:21.

Anonymous said...

Make it look smooth as a baby's butt just like the old Cabot Lodge on State St. now looks. Amazing how much that demolition changed the landscape.

Anonymous said...

"Make it look smooth as a baby's butt just like the old Cabot Lodge on State St. now looks. Amazing how much that demolition changed the landscape."

Very true.

However, ( back in the day ) that was a cool place to crash the pool after a few Keifer's mega mugs.

Plus, it was also a very good and clean bathroom spot for an unexpected "quick step response" to an emergency.

Seeing the iconic little Millsaps observatory was also a reassuring site when we were leaving our hometown of Jackson to return to our respective campus'.

Now one needs a tracked vehicle to drive down State Street.


I will not say anything about Riverside Drive.

Anonymous said...

Just about everyone old enough to have truly nostalgic feelings toward the S & S is dead.

Anonymous said...

They didn't save the Alamo...Not Even John Wayne could save it.

Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Carter (the married-couple managers, not the President and First Lady) held an open house of the Jackson location’s Alamo Plaza Gardens in 1968, to showcase the differently landscaped units (Clarion-Ledger, Aug. 25, 1968). Cannas, Jerusalem Plumbs, azaleas, amaryllis, iris, Touch-me-nots, rose bushes, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, tree ivy, and tiger lilies adorned the grounds. Behind the units were gardens of peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, squash, onions, garlic, carrots, radishes, butterbeans, and black beans. The black beans were obtained from Mexico and were an item of interest to tourists as the beans grew up to 3 feet long.

The burgeoning motel business captured by Holiday Inn after the development of the Interstate highway system finally spelled the end of the Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts, and the last new location opened in 1960. In 1979, the Jackson corporation dissolved ownership, although the motel continued to operate under the name until 1989 when it was ordered demolished after closure in 1988.

Anonymous said...

Thanks JJ...another article shown in the 2001 paper...The MBN may have to cut Agents & Offices

Anonymous said...

Don't confuse the nostalgia stoked by the sign with value of the property. Save the sign. City Park? What nonsense. Jackson needs another venue for recalcitrant lay-abouts?

Anonymous said...

5:27 I purchased a pecan log a few months ago at the Stuckeys in Hattiesburg. It evidently had been there quite a while, center was hard and pecans tasted stale. The place was remodeled a couple of years ago and it badly needed it. The bathrooms were filthy, after work was done and it reopened, it was very nice but now has reverted to the same old nasty place it was before. Whomever owns that franchise needs to take a long look at who is supposed to attend to the asthetics and make changes. I do not stop there any longer, Keith's is much nicer and employees at least acknowledge you spent money there.

Anonymous said...

Tear it down and build a parking garage for state employees. The number of parking lots in downtown is out of hand. They are only used during the day because nobody is downtown at night.

See Rock City said...

8:18 - You are obviously not a Southern Miss season ticket holder. That Stuckeys is a special piss stop for thousands on the way to the stadium. If you pulled in there 'to spend money', I just don't what to say. After all, what will you do with those Mississippi coasters and shot glasses? The Mexican quilts near the front door are real nice.

Anonymous said...

3:47, obviously you have not driven down State Street recently. No tracked vehicle necessary; in fact quite nice and comfy ride.

Anonymous said...

" They didn't save the Alamo...Not Even John Wayne could save it."

True.

I remember when the Alamo Plaza motel was sill a nice place.
( que Mary Hopkin's 1968 hit "Those were the days".

By1989, it was a different place.

Prostitution and drugs had taken over.

I'm glad it's gone.

I don't wish to remember the Alamo in that condition.

Spit Shine said...

If a man had been smart enough to open a shoe-shine stand there fifty years ago, his book would have sold millions. A true entrepreneur, selling shoe-shines and condoms would have been genius.



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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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