Historic Saint Joseph Hall

Have you even heard of Historic Saint Joseph Hall? Probably not. You should. This lovely little event center is located directly behind, you guessed it, St. Joseph Brewery and it's my understanding it's the same team involved. I attended the Heartland International Film Festival Awards last night and they were held in the event center located on the second floor of this deceptive from the outside building. I say "deceptive" because from the outside this looks like an older, "lived in" building in downtown Indy that is simple and straightforward. You could easily mistake it for an apartment building. The history of St. Joseph Hall is pretty remarkable. It was built in 1892 and actually used originally as a schoolhouse serving St. Joseph Parish. Run by the Sisters of Providence, it was used as a school for boys and as a Parish hall. St. Joseph Parish closed in 1949. The Archdiocese still owned it, but leased it to the Near-Eastside Civic Association. Not long after, the fire department would actually close the building due to safety concerns. In 1953, St. Mary's Church took over the building and began some renovations to use it as a meeting space and rec hall. As a fun fact, they were the sole downtown organization that would allow the just starting ACLU to meet in their facilities and the first ACLU meeting in Indy was held here. In 1971, the Archdiocese began renting the building to the Hispanic Center and eventually donated the building to them. They owned it until 2004. A couple then purchased it with an adoption agency on the first floor, an event center, and the second floor was largely for art auctions. Finally, current ownership took over in 2017 and serious renovations began. It's my understanding that there's still an adoption agency on the first floor. As is true for St. Joseph Brewery, despite the challenges an effort has been made toward accessibility. It's not perfect, but it's an 1892 building. I don't expect perfect. The west entry offers a single accessible parking space and a concrete curb cut with ramp into the back entry. There's an elevator to the event center (and it's a well done elevator). It does involve going through the adoption center office (which requires staff presence due to confidentiality concerns, of course), but staff are super accommodating. While the outside looks simple and straightforward, the event center dazzles. Our event had about 126 or so attendees sitting at tables and it was sublime. Food was provided by St. Joseph Brewery and it was excellent. All the employees were friendly and helpful and yet also didn't disrupt the event when cleaning or working. St. Joseph only does one event in a day - so they can completely focus on one event and give the event the attention it deserves. The acoustics in the venue were awesome (there was a musical performance) and award presenters (myself included) were easily heard and seen. The layout was awesome. This would be a great venue for a small-to-moderate sized event including weddings, corporate events, parties, etc. The facility also includes a house directly next to it (which is how the access works) that offers a small outdoor area that can be used. I honestly loved this event. I loved how much the staff went out of their way to accommodate the wheelchair use. The parking lot is a bit small and that would hinder large events here, however, this isn't really made for large events. There's also street parking around it for overflow parking, though this is a residential area with apartments right across the street. They do have restrooms, I believe on each floor, though I didn't try them out for access. Great experience in every way and I would definitely return with my own special events. While I doubt I'd organize an actual disability-specific event here, for those needing accommodation I'd simply recommend contacting them in advance to make sure arrangements are made. This great up-and-coming facility wisely offers intelligent, effective use of a historic building and offers a cool spot for a special event.

We cannot recommend this venue enough! We had our wedding here in August 2020 and could not say enough good things about the management (Adam) and Historic St. Joseph Hall. Adam accommodated our every request and helped us navigate planning a wedding during the pandemic. Adam was extremely flexible, easy going, and all around made our day run so smoothly. With the ever-changing restrictions around the pandemic, Adam was willing to work with us at every turn. Pricing was reasonable and the food was absolutely delicious!! I heard horror stories about other venues, and we are so thankful we chose North Street Events for our wedding! We highly recommend this place!