Senator Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hotel Senator
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 Location in Sacramento, California
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1121 L Street, Sacramento, California |
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| Area | .87 acres (0.35 ha) |
| Built | 1923–1924 |
| Architect | Kenneth MacDonald and G. Albert Lansburgh |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival architecture |
| NRHP reference No. | 79003459 |
| Added to NRHP | May 30, 1979 |
The Senator Hotel was a famous nine-story hotel in Sacramento, California. It was built in an Italian Renaissance style. The hotel opened in 1924 and closed in 1979. It was located right across from the California State Capitol building. For over 50 years, it was a very important place for California's politics and social events.
Many important people stayed or worked at the Senator Hotel. A powerful person named Arthur Samish had a special suite there in the 1930s and 1940s. President Gerald Ford also spent a night there in 1975. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in May 1979. However, it closed just two months later. In 1983, the building was renovated and reopened as an office building. It is now called the Senator Hotel Office Building. This location is still very convenient for people who work with state politicians.
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What Did the Senator Hotel Look Like?
The Senator Hotel building was made of strong concrete. It had two main parts, each nine stories tall. These parts were connected by a lobby building. The design was inspired by the Palazzo Farnese in Florence, Italy. The front of the building, facing L Street, was about 165 feet (50 meters) long. It featured a beautiful row of arches, like a colonnade, along the front and sides.
When the hotel first opened in 1924, these arches were covered in a peach-colored material called terra cotta. It was made to look like large, smooth marble blocks. The front also had an open area that served as a veranda for guests. Later, this area was enclosed with glass.
Inside the Hotel: Lobby and Rooms
The hotel's lobby was designed to look like a 16th-century courtyard from the Palazzo Farnese in Rome, Italy. Guests entered from L Street through special hand-painted doors. They would walk through a hallway with rough plastered walls that looked like gold under blue tints.
Guests could also go straight across the lobby to winding staircases. These stairs led to a balcony floor that looked down over the lobby. The railings of the stairs had decorative ironwork spindles painted in soft colors.
Fun and Food at the Hotel
The Senator Hotel was more than just a place to sleep. It had restaurants and meeting rooms that were open to everyone. When it first opened, a band called The Syncopating Senators played in its theater. The hotel even had its own orchestra!
The hotel's Empire Room had a large 86-foot (26-meter) bar. In 1937, a special painting was added to the bar. It showed the story of Britain's King Edward VIII giving up his throne to marry Wallis Simpson. This painting caused some discussion at the time.
Besides the Empire Room, the hotel had the Peacock Room, which was a nice place for women to have tea. The Florentine Dining Room was the main dining area. It was designed to look like a famous room in the Palazzo Farnese. There was also the Roman Banquet Hall, a large room for special dinners and events. Many of these areas were updated in 1954.
Today, the building has about 147,000 square feet (13,650 square meters) of office space. People working in these offices can even listen to what's happening in the California Assembly or Senate through special speakers.
A Look Back at the Senator Hotel's History
The opening of the Senator Hotel in the 1920s was an exciting time for Sacramento. The city had just adopted a new way of governing itself in 1920. In 1923, voters created the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), which provides electricity to the area.
The year 1924, when the hotel opened, was busy for Sacramento. A law school was started, a big department store opened, and the city's drinking water became filtered and treated. Also, a Sacramento boxer named Georgie Lee fought for a world championship title.
Building the Hotel
The Senator Hotel cost $2 million to build. It was designed by architect Kenneth MacDonald, with help from theater architect G. Albert Lansburgh. Construction took place from 1923 to 1924. The hotel opened in late August 1924 at 1121 L Street. Its main purpose was to provide lodging and meeting spaces for California's state politicians and others doing business in Sacramento. The Senator Hotel became part of a new and popular shopping area on 12th Street.
Famous Visitors and Political Hub
Many famous people visited the Senator Hotel. Silent film star Buster Keaton stayed there in 1927 while filming a movie. A few months later, famous pilot Charles Lindbergh was honored in the hotel's Florentine Room after his historic flight from New York to Paris.
From the 1930s to the 1950s, the Senator Hotel was the heart of political activity in Sacramento. Lawmakers and people who tried to influence laws (called lobbyists) would meet in the lobby. They would make many important political deals there. Boxer Max Baer, a former Heavyweight Champion, often visited the hotel in the 1930s. Arthur Samish, a very powerful lobbyist, had a fancy suite at the hotel during these years.
Other notable guests included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. In the 1940s, author Joan Didion auditioned for a play at the hotel. Writer William Saroyan also spent time at the hotel bar. In 1954, football coach Curly Lambeau was fired after an argument in the hotel lobby. In the late 1950s, jazz musician Stan Kenton held concerts in the Empire Room.
Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, many politicians, including Governors Jerry Brown and Ronald Reagan, and Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, spent time at the hotel. President Gerald Ford stayed there the night before an attempt on his life in September 1975.
Changes and New Life
In early 1979, retired baseball player Mickey Mantle attended a convention at the Senator Hotel. In May 1979, the hotel was officially recognized as a historic place. However, just two months later in July, the hotel had to close. This was because it had many violations related to fire safety and building rules. The windows were covered up, and Sacramento was left without a major historic hotel.
In November 1979, a developer named Marvin "Buzz" Oates bought the Senator Hotel. He spent a lot of money renovating the building over the next eight years. In 1983, he reopened it as an office building. He called it the "Senator Hotel Office Building." This made it easy for lobbyists to reach California's state politicians. The building was sold again in 1987. Due to a big economic downturn between 2007 and 2012, the building's occupancy dropped. In 2012, the previous owners lost ownership, and the building was put up for sale again.
Other Historic Hotels in Sacramento
- Citizen Hotel
- Hotel Sacramento (1909–1956), located at 10th and K streets
- Travelers' Hotel (1914–1982), located at 428 J Street
