Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel

The Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel was a motel in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. The motel was opened in 1960 and partially demolished in 2021. The motel was opened by Mississippi businessman Dumas Milner and was designed in either the International or mid-century modern style. Due to its close proximity to the Mississippi State Capitol, the motel served as the temporary lodging for many politicians and elected officials while the Mississippi Legislature was in session. Additionally, during the 1960s, it became a prominent lodging location for activists in the civil rights movement, such as Robert L. Carter of the NAACP and several members of the Council of Federated Organizations during the Freedom Summer project. In either 2001 or 2002, the motel closed. Following this, the government of Mississippi leased the property as a parking lot for government employees. In 2019, the government purchased the property and announced plans to demolish the building and convert the lot into additional parking spaces. This prompted outcry from many state historians and led to the motel being declared a Mississippi Landmark by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and being added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of America's Most Endangered Places in 2020. Despite this, much of the structure was demolished by February 2021, with only the sign and some of the commons areas preserved, with the intent of converting the latter into office and meeting spaces.

Architecture Sources differ slightly on the architectural style of the motel. In a 2019 article in the Jackson Free Press, the motel is described as "a rare example of International-style modernism in Jackson", though a 2021 analysis of the building by the National Trust for Historic Preservation describes it as an example of mid-century modern architecture, with distinctive elements including large plate glass windows and metal screens. The motel had a ballroom, a swimming pool, and a sign that was constructed in either the mid-century modern or Googie style. The total floor area of the building, including the commons areas, was at least 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2).

History The Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel, located at 401 North Lamar Street, was opened in 1960 by Dumas Milner, a Mississippi businessman, who named the motel after another one that he owned in Biloxi, Mississippi. In addition to the Sun-n-Sand properties, Milner also owned and operated the King Edward Hotel in Jackson. In 1965, the motel opened one of the first bars in Jackson after prohibition was repealed in the city. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the motel was "a fixture of downtown Jackson", and it is referenced in several works of literature that are set in the city, including Willie Morris's My Cat Spit McGee and Kathryn Stockett's The Help. Additionally, Morris wrote his book New York Days while staying at the motel, and John Grisham, who was at the time a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, wrote A Time to Kill while living in the motel.

Use by legislators and activists

Located near the Mississippi State Capitol, the new motel became a popular housing option for several members of the Mississippi Legislature during legislative sessions. Legislators could rent rooms at the motel on a monthly basis, and, according to journalist Keisha Rowe of The Clarion-Ledger, it served as an "informal meeting site" where elected officials could discuss political matters. Following a 1984 meeting at the hotel with politicians William J. McCoy and Michael P. Mills, journalist Sid Salter of the Clarion-Ledger said that the living arrangements at the motel were similar to those of the freshman dormitories at Mississippi State University and that the politicians who stayed there operated under the Chatham House Rule. In 2001, McCoy said concerning the political activities at the motel, "We have passed many important measures because of our conversations after hours in the Sun-n-Sand". Representative Steve Holland similarly noted the significance of the motel in Mississippi politics during a 2009 interview with the Associated Press, saying, "Everything you ever needed to know about what's going on, you could find out at the breakfast table. ... Hell, if you didn't know it, you could start a rumor at 5:30 in the morning. It'd be around the Capitol later that day". In addition to legislators, many activists in the civil rights movement used the motel while staying in Jackson, such as Robert L. Carter of the NAACP, who stayed at the hotel in 1964. In July of that year, following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the motel became one of several in Jackson to desegregate and accept African American patrons. On August 15 of that year, Ku Klux Klan members held a cross burning outside of the motel after they became aware that activists associated with the Council of Federated Organizations were staying there as part of the Freedom Summer project. The motel also served as the meeting place for activists involved in the Wednesdays in Mississippi program. During his time as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, Aaron Henry, a civil rights activist who served as the head of the state branch of the NAACP, stayed at the motel. While staying at the motel, Henry was involved in a long-term homosexual relationship that was common knowledge to other residents and workers at the motel, including other politicians. Partially concerning this relationship and the motel in general, historian John Howard wrote in a 1999 history book,

The Sun-n-Sand was a hybrid space, situated on the Lamar Street edge of both the business and Farish Street districts. The only motor hotel within walking distance of the new Capitol, it housed rural and small-town delegates to the state legislature and served as a site for illicit sex

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