We respectfully ask the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to designate the Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel in Jackson as a Mississippi Landmark.

Since the Sun-n-Sand was listed as one of Mississippi’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2005, the Mississippi Heritage Trust has fielded numerous calls from developers eager to take on this so-called lost cause.  These creative, smart people were consistently rebuffed by the owner, who had no incentive to lose the steady stream of income that the State of Mississippi paid to use the hotel’s parking lot.  The new owner, the State of Mississippi, has stated that this historic hotel that speaks to Mississippi’s colorful past is too far gone to be saved and should be demolished.  The plan for the vacant site is a parking lot. 

But, if you don’t ask the right questions, how can you know the answer?  The first step in analyzing whether this publicly-owned building can be saved should be a Historic Structures Report detailing its current condition.  The next step-a call for proposals to allow people with real estate development savvy to weigh in with their vision for the future of Mississippi’s favorite modernist icon.  Our forward-thinking legislators have put tools such as the state historic tax credit in place for just this type of catalyst project.  In order to stop the wrecking ball, we are asking that the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Board of Trustees list this important historic building as a Mississippi Landmark. 

Tearing down the Sun-n-Sand should be the last resort, after all possible development options have been explored.  The positive economic impact of bringing historic places that tell the rich, authentic history of Mississippi back to life is unquestionable.  The economic impact of a parking lot?  Questionable.