In the mid-20th century, says The Netherlands-based photographer Ferry Verheij, the Grande Hotel promised to bring wealth and prosperity to Beira, Mozambique, then under Portuguese control. Its doors opened in 1955, catering to the richest of the rich including Hollywood starlets Kim Novak with more than 100 decadently furnished rooms, an impressive swimming pool, and fine cuisine. The Grande Hotel, however, was too ambitious, too extravagant, and utterly unsustainable. It closed less than a decade after opening.