The ocean forest hotel

The Ocean Forest Hotel, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA, was one of the earliest major hotels in the area. The vision for the Ocean Forest and the adjacent Ocean Forest Country Club and Golf Course came from John T. Woodside, a textile magnate hailing from Greenville, South Carolina. Woodside's company acquired 65,000 acres of land from the Myrtle Beach Farms Company, which included the oceanfront property for the hotel. In 1928, Woodside completed the construction of the golf course and country club, turning his attention to the development of a hotel catering to an upscale clientele.

Designed by Raymond Hood, the architect behind New York's Rockefeller Center, the Ocean Forest Hotel was officially opened on February 21, 1930. The construction cost approximately $1 million and featured a ten-story main tower with two five-story wings. It stood out from other hotels in Myrtle Beach, boasting ornate features like marble columns, crystal chandeliers, spacious ballrooms, and elevators. The hotel property spanned 13 acres, including gardens, stables, and pools. It was situated oceanfront, near what is now Porcher Drive.

However, upon completion, Woodside found himself unable to meet the mortgage payments, having suffered significant financial losses during the stock market crash of 1929. The hotel, country club, and surrounding property were foreclosed upon by Woodside's bank, Iselin and Company of New York, and remained under their ownership for several years. A group of independent investors eventually acquired the hotel and country club, although much of the land was eventually reclaimed by the Myrtle Beach Farms Company.

Positioned midway between New York City and Miami, the Ocean Forest Hotel was often referred to as "the Grand Central Station of the area."

Following World War II, the hotel experienced a lack of required maintenance and upkeep.

In 1973, Niles “Sonny” Stevens and Dexter Stuckey purchased the hotel, though the purchase price was not disclosed. The 10-acre site was estimated to be worth $7.5 million. The owners began selling items from the hotel, including the lighthouse that once graced its rooftop, which later became part of the Family Kingdom Amusement Park. Operating costs for the Ocean Forest became unsustainable, and it was deemed "unable to meet the requirements of its insurers" in a Sun News article from that time.

On Friday, September 13, 1974, the hotel was imploded to make way for a condominium development. Today, only a roundabout marks the spot where the hotel's entrance once stood, with roads extending toward the present-day Pine Lakes Country Club, the former Ocean Forest Country Club and Golf Course.

A beach house from the original project was relocated to Springmaid Beach and transformed into the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum. Ocean Forest Villas now occupies the site.