MYRTLE BEACH, SC.- One of Myrtle Beach’s top attractions will take a hiatus this holiday season when the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum closes for some much-needed renovations – just in time for the launching of a yearlong 10th anniversary celebration in January. The Museum will close Nov. 27 and reopen Jan. 14. The Museum Gift Shop will remain open during construction, with store hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, through Dec. 15.

Known as Springmaid Villa, the facility housing the Museum dates to 1923, when it originally stood next to the historic Ocean Forest Hotel. When the hotel was razed in 1974, the Villa nearly met the same fate, until a group of local preservationists raised the funds to save the structure. The Burroughs & Chapin Co. donated the land where the Museum now stands, near Springmaid Pier, and the Villa was moved to the site.

“Time and again, we hear from visitors that the building is as much an attraction as the art inside. It’s a wonderful, intimate setting that makes our art exhibits so much more accessible,” said Jim Watson, the Museum’s treasurer. “With so few historic structures remaining from the early days of Myrtle Beach, we felt the building was a treasure that needed to be preserved.”

The facility’s conversion from family home to art museum included one alteration, however, that would come to be regretted. In order to create more interior wall space for the hanging of artwork, as well as to protect the art from ultraviolet rays, most of the building’s exterior windows needed to be closed off. But to avoid substantially changing the building’s appearance, a decision was made to close off the openings with plywood – uninsulated and painted black – while installing modern aluminum windows on the outside.
Over time, that would prove to be the source of numerous problems. Particularly in summer, the black painted surfaces behind the windows absorbed solar heat that wrought havoc with the building’s heating and cooling system. Eventually the heat buildup even warped the window frames, allowing humidity and windblown rain – both enemies of fine art works – to penetrate into the interior.

So late last year, the Museum’s board of directors commissioned LS3P, a Charleston architectural firm to find a solution to the building’s woes. Their recommendations were presented to the Myrtle Beach Council, and following approval by the city’s Community Appearance Board, the Council appropriated $100,000 to undertake renovations.

The architects’ solution was deceptively simple: Remove the existing windows, close and insulate the openings, and then install fixed, closed shutters (painted “Charleston green”) surrounded by faux window frames. The result is the illusion of windows where there are none, thus preserving the look of the original structure while providing a sturdy, weatherproof shell to protect the building’s contents.

Following completion of the heavy construction. new wall carpet will be installed on all interior walls. Three windows on the top floor of the building, located in a storage area, will be replaced but remain operable windows. Construction is expected to be completed in time for a grand reopening and the launching of a yearlong celebration of the Museum’s 10th anniversary, which actually occurs in June. A variety of events, including live entertainment and arts activities for both adults and children, are planned.

“In our first ten years, we feel the Museum has established itself as a major piece of the Grand Strand’s cultural life,” said Pat Goodwin, Museum executive director. “With our new, improved facility and the momentum we’ve established, we’re going to be ready and able to continue that role for many, many years to come.”

The Art Museum is funded by support from the City of Myrtle Beach, the South Carolina Arts Commission, special events and public programs, foundation grants and business and individual memberships. For further information about the Museum or to become a member or volunteer, call 843-238.2510.