The Senator Hotel in Sacramento is marking its 100th anniversary since opening with a celebration in the historic location's first-floor lobby.So, I immediately wondered, "what makes this hotel so significant?"What I found fascinated me.Opened in 1924, the nine-story, 400-room hotel across the street from the State Capitol was originally named the Hotel Senator.For more than five decades, it was described as "a nexus of California political and social activity for more than 50 years," according to a history posted on thesenatorofficebuilding.com.Throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, politicians and celebrities mingled in the hotel. It was shut down in 1979 and essentially shuttered.An employee I chatted with outside along L Street told me that a few years ago, "there was just dust everywhere. There were huge drapes that when you hit them, moths would fly out," Since being renovated, it is now an office building.California's governor and the mayor of Sacramento are among the invited guests for Wednesday's celebration, according to Seagate Properties Inc.However, the list of influential names tied to this hotel's history made it a true place to be in downtown Sacramento. That included Arthur Samish, a powerful lobbyist in the 1930s and 1940s, who had a suite inside the hotel.Among the notable names at Hotel Senator:Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stayed at the hotelCharles Lindbergh was honored here for his flight from New York to ParisMax Baer, the former heavyweight boxing champ, frequented the hotelBaseball legend Mickey Mantle was paid $2,000 to attend the National Association of Health Underwriters of Sacramento's convention hereGovernors Jerry Brown and Ronald Reagan stayed here, as did Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter.But perhaps one of the most notable guests to stay here was President Gerald Ford. Why?According to the Senator Hotel's website, he spent the night here before the assassination attempt on him by Squeaky Fromme on Sept. 5, 1975.And then there is one more notable Sacramento name who played a significant role in this location's ability to celebrate its 100th anniversary. That name is Marvin "Buzz" Oates.Oates purchased the hotel shortly after it closed for $2.5 million and spent millions more renovating the building over the next eight years. It reopened as the Senator Hotel Office Building.So now you know why I found the history of this historic building, located at 1121 L Street so fascinating. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter