Exterior view of the Hotel Virginia and the remains of the Magnolia Pier in Long Beach, ca.1905

Photograph of the exterior of the Hotel Virginia and the remains of the Magnolia Pier in Long Beach, ca.1905. The massive hotel building is at the center of the image, the windows of its five stories looking out on the ocean. There is a courtyard in the middle of the hotel, and a staircase is visible here. The remains of the pier, destroyed in 1892 by a storm, are visible in the foreground on the left--only the tops of the support posts are visible above the water. There are a few people on the beach in front of the hotel, including two sitting in chairs and holding umbrellas towards the left of the image.