SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A new plan to open a wine bar in one of Sacramento’s most historic buildings is uncorked.
The nearly hundred-year-old Senator Hotel was once an entertainment hotspot, and now there is hope that it will revitalize downtown.
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Many people who pass Sacramento’s historic Senator Hotel don’t think about it.
“I just walk past it every day,” says Brian Malone, who works nearby.
“I don’t know anything about this building; I’ve probably walked past it a thousand times, ”said Jamie Williams, who supports the wine bar.
The 10-story towers were built in 1924 directly opposite the state capital and were once an important meeting place for rulers and celebrities.
“It was a hub for people to socialize and do business over a drink or a live show,” said historian William Burg.
Notable names like Buster Keaton and Martin Luther King Jr. once lived here, and musician Duke Ellington performed at the nightclub. President Gerald Ford stayed here the night before an attack.
But decades ago the rooms were converted into office space and the restaurant and club closed.
Now there’s a new attempt to bring back some of the spirited action. An application was made to open a wine bar in the building with service under the arches and pillars of the outdoor terrace.
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The idea is very well received.
“I would go to that outdoor wine bar, I would totally go,” Williams said.
“I would defiantly go and take my friends and all,” Malone said.
The proposal, which still needs the approval of the city. would be run by the same person who owns the Whired Wine Bar across from the Golden 1 Center.
Some say the new bar could become a new hotspot for lobbyists and lawmakers.
“Just across the street from the capital seems like a little shop / pleasure, I think it sounds fun,” said Grace Theodore, who endorsed the idea.
“People who work in the state capital want a place where they can meet [and] a wine bar seems to be a natural place for it “
And it’s an opportunity for customers to uncork a little history while eating and drinking.
“Old buildings have new purposes. It just takes a little creativity to say, ‘Hey, this could be a good place for a new idea,’ ”said Burg.
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The proposal will not change any of the building’s historical structural elements. The Sacramento City Planning Commission is due to vote on the project this Thursday.
