McKenzie Beach Hotel

The McKenzie Beach Hotel was originally called the Magnolia Beach Club; later it was named after Frank McKenzie. Frank McKenzie and Lillian Pyatt acquired the land in 1934 with envisions of a place where African - Americans could visit the beach, eat great food, enjoy strong drinks and live music without discrimination. In 1936 construction began for the brilliant envision that the land owners had. In the late 1930s popular musicians like Count Basie, Charlie "Bird" Parker, and Duke Ellington were playing at the club on the regular. The Magnolia Beach Club continued you grow until 1954. When Hurricane Hazel hit the coast on October 15, 1954 it destroyed the castaway, the pavilion and most of the cabin on the property. McKenzie and Pyatt rebuilt a small motel and built a tackle shop on the main land in 1956; in hopes to revive the land that once was booming. This is when the property became known as The MacKenzie Beach Hotel. The property sold in the late 1960s due to financial hardship. Now the 23 acres of land sit vacant and untouched and abandoned.