The Venue at Chester County History Center is an exceptional and unique historic wedding venue located in the heart of downtown West Chester, PA. Convenient to Hotel Warner, boutique shops, galleries and restaurants and minutes away from major Brandywine Valley attractions, our venue is the perfect spot to make history together! This beautiful historic building, offering many photo opportunities, was built for the YMCA in 1908, then purchased and renovated by CCHC in 1993. Your guests will also have access to the award winning museum's many galleries in Horticultural Hall, designed by Thomas Ustick Walter and built in 1849. This building has the distinction of housing the first Pennsylvania women's rights convention in 1852 among other influential historic events and performances by well-known 19th century entertainers.
Facilities and Capacity
The Auditorium consists of 2,600 square feet of versatile event space which will accommodate an intimate sit-down dinner for 150 guests to a cocktail reception for up to 300 guests. The outdoor terrace is an exceptional location for cocktails with beautiful glass doors opening into the atrium space. The wedding suite includes two separate rooms for use by the wedding party for gathering and wedding preparation.
Services Offered
We offer multiple wedding package options including micro-wedding all-inclusive packages customized to our clients unique style. Also, our venue can accommodate both your wedding ceremony and reception. Our standard packages include:
Wedding Suite
Day of Coordination
Choice of caterer from preferred catering list to meet our clients budget and tastes
Tables and chairs
Dance Floor
Tent for the Terrace
Building is fully handicap accessible
Chester County History Center is a non-profit organization.
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My husband and I were so pleased with our reception at CCHC. Working with Cyndi Meadows, we were able to put on a fun, personalized reception for which we received rave reviews from family and friends. Cyndi answered our many questions and was responsive to our needs. Our guests loved the venue, with cocktails outside on the terrace along with the option to browse the museum collections. The auditorium space accommodated about 100 guests for a buffet dinner and dancing very well. With our DJ's lights, floral arrangements, and some additional decor, we turned the basic, blank slate of the auditorium into a vibrant, colorful space. Proximity to the Chestnut Street parking garage and the Hotel Warner are huge bonuses for this a unique venue in the borough of West Chester. The venue costs are very reasonable when looking at other local venues, plus you provide your own alcohol here which provides further savings. We happily partnered with one of their preferred caterers, Limoncello, who provided abundant, delicious food and excellent service. If you want a unique, convenient, and affordable venue for your wedding reception, do not hesitate to check out CCHC!!
Amy Sent on 09/19/2017
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
We LOVED having our ceremony and reception at the CCHS!! Cyndi was our coordinator, and she was so helpful with any questions we had. The venue is pretty and unique, and right in town- perfect for pictures. And the Hotel Warner is right across the street, so it's nice and convenient. We used the patio out front for cocktail hour, and it was beautiful. It's a pretty blank space so it works with any color scheme or theme you'd like to use, and a nice stage that you can use for your wedding band/DJ. I highly recommend the CCHS! I am so happy we had our wedding there.
Camille Sent on 12/25/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Excellent!!
Cyndi was the best. She helped with every aspect of our wedding! It was a perfect evening.
I would recommend this venue!
Susan Sent on 03/26/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Exceptional venue right in the Borough
We LOVED our reception at Chester County Historical Society. Our guests enjoyed cocktails while perusing a few exhibits, and our young guests loved going out afterwards to party in town! Cyndi was very helpful and everything worked out perfectly. We want to do it again!
Joseph Sent on 02/21/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Wedding Brunch
The team did a wonderful job for our wedding brunch. Food was all kept hot and fresh throughout the event. Staff was extremely attentive.
Tracy Sent on 11/11/2014
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
In the middle of July 2014, 3 months before our wedding, we decided to start looking for venues. Luckily, CCHS was available on the date of our wedding (barely!). I began emailing with Tara Thistlethwaite at CCSH, and now that the wedding is over, I don't want to stop! She was over-the-top helpful and enthusiastic about our reception. My husband and I had a unique theme for our reception (Halloween/Masquerade), and the theme was thoroughly embraced by the entire staff. The availability of the venue was fantastic (we had a few hours the day before the reception to set up, as well as basically the entire day of), which took a lot of stress off of us. The cost to rent the venue was quite low, considering our guests were able to walk through the museum for a couple of hours during the reception! Just an all-around unique venue that will keep your guests talking for days and weeks afterwards.
Susan Sent on 07/14/2014
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
We loved our wedding reception experience with the Chester County Historical Society! Growing up in the town of West Chester I knew I wanted to have my reception right in town and we could not have asked for a better experience. Tara from the Historical Society did a great job helping us plan-she is really quick and attentive to emails and phone calls. My favorite part of having our reception here was that the museum was open for a few hours-our guests got to explore and dress up etc.
Rachel Sent on 02/12/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Great Location with Culture
This venue was excellent. The tables and chairs were all included which was great. They offered extra rooms for changing/storage. The best part about it was that the venue included a 2 hour museum tour for all of the guests to browse on their own pace. It was a nice addition for the guests to enjoy while pictures were being taken.
Becky Sent on 08/21/2013
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Fantastic reception!!! My guests loved it and I heard from many it was the best reception they had ever been too!
Stephanie Sent on 09/26/2013
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
The Historical Society was a great place for our wedding reception! We enjoyed that it was a "blank" space and could make it our own. Tara and David were both very responsive and helpful. The rental cost is extremely reasonable and well worth it. I was a little disappointed in the beginning that they have an exclusive contract with a caterer, but in the end it all worked out! Thank you for helping to make our special day absolutely fabulous!
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