Myrtle Beach’s stairs to nowhere. Why was this 10-year oddity left behind? What we know

Emalyn Muzzy
·2 min read

There is a stairway to heaven in Myrtle Beach — depending on your definition of heaven. And stairway.

Along North Ocean Boulevard, in between the two Atlantica Resort buildings, there sits four concrete steps. They’re all that remains of the Palmetto Shores Resort, which was torn down in 2014, according to The Sun News.

The destruction of the hotel created a now 10-year-old oddity. People have speculated about the history of the stairs to nowhere and have even written “Stairway to Heaven” on the steps. But where did these stairs come from?

One hotel closed and another didn’t happen

The stairs belonged to the Poindexter Oceanfront Hotel, a three-building hotel with 128 units. It was owned by the Anderson family, who helped turn Myrtle Beach into a tourist destination, according to The Sun News.

The hotel opened in the 1970s and closed in 2009 after the Andersons could not keep up with loan payments.

The family borrowed $8.56 million from National Bank of South Carolina in 2007, according to a 2009 story by The Sun News. By the fall of 2008, the family had accrued half a million dollars in interest and defaulted on the loan. This caused the bank to foreclose on the hotel.

Horry County land records show the National Bank of South Carolina took ownership in July 2009 and sold it to Buchanan Motels LLC for $4.8 million in January 2010. George Buchanan, of Buchanan Motels, was a hotel developer, owner and operator who was in charge of many Myrtle Beach hotels in his lifetime, according to his 2019 obituary.

The Palmetto Shores Resort in August 2012. The stairs can be seen leading up to the General Store at the resort. While the rest of the building has been torn down, the stairs remain.
The Palmetto Shores Resort in August 2012. The stairs can be seen leading up to the General Store at the resort. While the rest of the building has been torn down, the stairs remain.

After Buchanan bought the former Poindexter buildings, he opened the Palmetto Shores Resort in March 2010 in the space. The resort stayed open until Dec. 1, 2013, according to the website which was accessed on the Wayback Machine.

Palmetto Shores was torn down in 2014 with a plan to build a 220-unit timeshare that would open in 2016. However, the plan never came to fruition and Buchanan Motels sold the land in February 2019, two months before Buchanan died. It remains unknown why the stairs were left behind.

Stairs soon to be gone

Compass by Margaritaville, a resort themed around the Jimmy Buffet song, is planned to be built on the land where the stairs are.

A rendering of the proposed Margaritaville hotel coming to Myrtle Beach. The hotel will have a pool and outside bar area.
A rendering of the proposed Margaritaville hotel coming to Myrtle Beach. The hotel will have a pool and outside bar area.

The resort has big plans, with an indoor and outdoor water park, bar and grill and breakfast area. It will be on both sides of North Ocean Boulevard with a sky way connecting the buildings.

Construction has not begun but it’s expected to open in early 2025, according to The Sun News.