Iconic Sun-N-Sand sign taken down for repairs

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – An iconic downtown Jackson hotel sign is getting a facelift.

Tuesday, crews took down the yellow, blue and black Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel sign, so it could be transported for repairs.

“We think it will be down six to eight weeks, while it’s being refurbished,” said Marcy Scoggins, with the Public Information Office for the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration.

Repairs are being made by Mitchell Signs in Meridian. The work will cost approximately $60,000 and is being funded with a Community Heritage Preservation grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

At one time, the Sun-N-Sand was a popular destination for state lawmakers during annual legislative sessions. However, the facility closed in 2001.

The property was purchased by the state in 2019, with plans to turn the site into employee parking. In 2020, it was named one of the most endangered historic places in the United States by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

That same year, the MDAH Board of Trustees granted the facility landmark status, but ultimately left it up to DFA to determine how the property would be used.

The first round of demolition at the Lamar Street facility wrapped up in 2021. What remains is the commercial portion of the former hotel, which DFA hopes to transform into an office and meeting space.

Crews are working on the exterior of the building now and hope to have those renovations wrapped up in 2023, Scoggins said.

“They are also finalizing plans for the inside of the building,” she said. DFA hopes to outfit the facility with a new meeting room, smaller conference room, and 50-person computer training room.

“Plans are tentative,” she said. “They will be finalized while [crews] work on the exterior.”

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