I couldn’t find which hotel this was other than it was in Long Beach and that this photo was taken in 1887. Still, it gives us an idea of what the hotels back then looked like. This looks to be quite a big one, with lots of open-air verandas…but shared bathrooms. That couple sitting on the sand look like they’re fully clothed because God forbid anybody show some skin at the beach. The place also looks like it’s all wood, which made it a fire hazard. Like many of the piers at the time, they often burned to the ground, which this one did a year after this photo was taken.
** UPDATE #1 ** – The name of the hotel was simply the Long Beach Hotel.
** UPDATE #2 ** – This article identifies it as the Willmore Hotel.
** UPDATE #3 ** – This page says the hotel opened in 1884.
The fate of this hotel, along with so many other wooden structures of its era, makes the survival of the del Coronado all the more amazing.
You’re right, Bill. It really does!
Who (in their right mind) would build a hotel like this with no firefighting equipment? Was that just standard then? Update #3 says the fire started in the kitchen. Again, were no provisions/protections “built-in” for such an obvious fire danger location? Not expecting “definitive” answers on any of this, just curious if you have any clues. Thanks –