Isle of Palms Magazine Winter 2016-17

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“We’ll Maintain exclusivity”
In early March 1984, longtime
Wild Dunes home developer David
H. Lucas, attorney James Boyd and
other businessmen purchased the resort
from the Finch family for nearly $28
million in partnership interests and
close to another $15 million in stock.
That September, new Wild Dunes
Associates Chief Executive Officer and
President Noel D. Thorn explained
the company’s plans for the remainder
of the resort’s development, which
Lucas estimated as only 45 percent
complete: “We’ll maintain exclusivity,”
the 37-year-old Thorn announced,
“but that’s the nature of our company.
At the same time, we want to do things
to make us good citizens of the Isle of
Palms.”
Under Thorn’s leadership, Wild
Dunes enjoyed record sales while
also contributing to the Isle of Palms
community. In 1988, for instance,
when IOP Mayor Carmen Bunch
needed to replace the city’s rescue
boat, Thorn agreed to purchase a
boat and lease it to the city for a
dollar a year.
The Finch family wasn’t done with
Wild Dunes. Henry’s oldest son,
Henry Jr., turned his attention to
expanding the Isle of Palms Marina.
Renaming the facility the Wild
Dunes Yacht Harbor, Finch promised
“a resort marina for the person
willing to pay more.”
Eventually, the harbor’s amenities
would include the Tradewinds
Restaurant – today’s Morgan Creek
Grill.
By 1990, Wild Dunes Associates
was largely finished with Wild Dunes,
having turned its attention to the new
Dunes West development in Mount
Pleasant. Los Angeles-based Lowe
Enterprises took over management
– and, eventually, ownership – of
Wild Dunes through its subsidiary,
Destination Hotels and Resorts. A few
years later, they purchased the Links
Golf Course for $8.2 million. In 1999,
the city of Isle of Palms bought the
Wild Dunes Yacht Harbor from the
Finch family and changed the name of
the much-improved facility back to the
Isle of Palms Marina.
Clearly, the Wild Dunes Resort of
today is a far cry from the community
of “permanent residents” that Henry
Finch described to his neighbors.
Instead, it’s estimated that fewer than 25
percent of the resort’s units are primary
residences for year-round owners.
Roughly 30 percent of its houses and
condos are part-time vacation homes,
and around 45 percent are rental units.
august 2014
It’s a steamy Friday night, and I’m
working checkout at the Isle of Palms
Harris Teeter. A family of Wild Dunes
guests, New Yorkers I remember from
earlier in the week, unload a final
night’s worth of groceries and beer
onto the conveyor belt.
“So how’s your week been?” I ask.
“Fabulous,” says Mom. “Forget
Florida. We’re definitely coming back.”
“What did you think of Charleston?”
I ask. “Did you do the horse-drawn
carriage?”
“Oh no,” she says. “Where is that?”
Dad pulls out his wallet: “Where is
Charleston, anyway? Is it close?”
I provide a quick lay of the land, but
they figure they’ll save the history stuff
for next time.
“But that Wild Dunes – that’s a great
place,” says Dad. “Not like this,”
he gestures to the crowded store.
“It’s peaceful. Like your own private
beach.”
Before you decide,
talk to the Good
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Perhaps a new addition to the
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Northbrook, IL. © 2010 Allstate Insurance Company
PAUL G LANGSTON
(843) 849-7477
1143 CHUCK DAWLEY BLVD
MT PLEASANT