Attended a wedding here and it was beautiful! Was in awe from the moment we walked through the front door. However, for a wedding, it was a little tough. There was only one bathroom, and going up and down the stairs (in heels) got to be a huge hassle. After the ceremony ended, that room was closed off and everyone had to squeeze in the tiny entrance room for the cocktail hour. Once the reception started, everything was the complete opposite -- very spread out and separated, which wasn't terrible, but the major issue was the main reception room. Their were hardly any tables for such a large number of people and the dance floor was tiny. We made do and still enjoyed ourselves, but would have liked to eat sitting down at an actual table! Although this type of venue wouldn't be my first choice for a wedding specifically, it was still beautiful and if the layout doesn't bother you, the decor and feel of the place overall were perfect! read more

Was here over the weekend for a wedding and was impressed by the beauty of this old mansion. I was shocked to learn that the mansion was previously a private residence due to the massive size of the place. It was an interesting wedding venue due to the multiple floors. First floor was the ceremony and dance floor, 2nd floor was a bar, and 3rd floor a billiard room and bridal suite. Pros: gorgeous venue for pictures Multiple floors with different amenities Multiple bars Cons: ONE BATHROOM!!!!!! Smoking allowed on the third floor Very small dance floor read more

Loved this place! Was lucky enough to go with a group of friends to a "Clue" party here. I couldn't think of a more perfect place to have a Clue party since the Stotesbury Mansion looks like exactly what you would imagine the Clue Mansion to look like...complete with a Library, a Study and a Billiards room. This is a beautiful space to hold an event and we greatly enjoyed the Clue party as well as all of the classic cocktails that were served. One miss of the evening though was that there were no non-alcoholic options. This is a big miss for people who may be non-drinkers or designated drivers. With that would love to go to another event here. read more

My son and my lovely daughter-in-law got married here just last weekend. What a beautiful setting! Stotesbury Mansion is beautiful and elegant. You feel like you're stepping back in time. There was plenty of room to move around and freedom to explore, yet it had a cozy feel to it. I was quite impressed! read more

Recently went to a wedding here. As in another review the nondescript entrance leads it's visitors into a stunning venue! However if you're thinking of having a wedding here keep these things in mind. (also said) There is only one bathroom on the second floor (or if you want you can disturb the bride in the bridal suite). The other rooms are interesting, but during an intimate wedding folks have to travel up & down a thin steep staircase (yes there's an elevator, but they wouldn't let guests use it). The catering was a mixed bag! Bartenders, coat-check, & waiters/waitresses were great! Very attentive & wish I'd been able to tip! But the event managers were well not so nice. They told their staff to CLEAR EVERYTHING from our tables starting an hour before the event. When I asked about the beautiful keepsakes she said "well I would guess they're in the trash." The worst was that they started stacking the chairs-yes an hour before the event was over. Would've been ok if they were considerate enough to move the chairs around the dance floor (guests had to move them ourselves). I overheard someone ask why they were doing this and the lady told my friend that they don't have time after the event to clean up. Really-the other event manger started the wedding 25 min late (bride groom & all who needed to be there were there) plus when one rents a place that clean up/break down time is built in! Food was yuck! Majority of the appetizers were greasy while others were dry. The beef was grisly, the potato had an overlooked dough round it, and soup was freezing (so cold couldn't eat). The bright note was the cake! Best I've ever had! Brides please please take my points into consideration. The venue is gorgeous, but for the price you need to see the whole picture. Not just get swept away by the beautiful things you see-it's the things you don't see that will keep your guests talking about your wedding :-) read more

I got married at the Philo last weekend (sorry ladies). The interior of the building, known as the Stotesbury Mansion, is absolutely beautiful. The ballroom was imported from England in the 1800s and includes even older accouterments, such as the 15th century fireplace. The ballroom itself sat 120 people comfortably, with room for dancing in the middle. When you rent the philo, you have access to the entire building the day of your wedding. Upstairs there is a library (which was great for post wedding pictures), a billiards room and a bridal suite. Clive, the manager of the facility, is an absolutely wonderful man that made sure that our event went off without incident even after we had some trouble with the caterer. The venue is also in a good central location in Philadelphia which makes it accessible to everyone. I cannot recommend this place more. 6 stars. read more

Stotesbury Mansion - Ballroom at the Philo - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I got married at Stotesbury Mansion last October. What an amazing venue it was to host our wedding. It was beautiful when we visited the open house, but when it was filled with people and candles and flowers on our wedding day - it was stunning! We had 90 guests for our sit down dinner wedding and we fit perfectly. There was plenty of room for a dance floor which I was a little nervous about, but it worked out great. We also had our ceremony there, and it was perfect. Feastivities the caterer was amazing to work with. The food was fantastic, the service and staff was awesome and everyone was friendly. I would highly reccomend Stotesbury Mansion for your wedding. It is a beautiful venue and is less than a block from Rittenhouse Park, the location is amazing! read more

This place is totally beautiful and a great place for everything from getting married to hosting a sweet 16 or coming out party! One absolutely important aspect that the previous reviewer neglected to mention is the ELEVATOR. You HAVE to ride the elevator! It's like riding the Tower of Terror at Disneyland! And the billiards room is a nice place to sit at a window table and pretend you're a really fancy lady with a smoke as you gaze out over the city. I'd like to attend some other special occasions here so if any of my fellow Yelpers (I love you all!) end up hosting a bash at this building, send me a message! I'd love to come! read more

Last night we had an event at stotesbury and the venue it's self was beautiful and spacious. However there was 1 bartender who was absolutely rude and turned down every time we asked for a specific drink and got into an altercation with someone. While all the rest of the staff and bartenders were the absolute best and very patient. I wish that both bars were open the whole night instead of one because it took way too long to get a drink. As well as making sure they have enough alcohol due to them running out of most of it. read more

Great place for corporate and personal events! I totally recommend it. It is close to the heart of the city. It is fun for foodies and shoppers! read more

My office has their annual holiday party at the Philo. It's a very nondescript building from the outside, but the inside is very 19th century beautiful. It would be a great spot for a small-ish wedding reception, or a party. There's an old windy staircase providing access to the second and third floors. Bathrooms are upstairs, and there are only two I believe which would limit the amount of people you can have here. The ballroom ceiling is very ornate, and there are pool tables on the 3rd floor. I missed out on the fun elevator ride everyone else talked about. This is a really cool space in a great central location. Definitely worth checking out if you are planning an event. read more

Wow. Talk about wonderful. Fabulous well portioned foods. Service was almost better then the food. Easily recommended

We had our wedding at Stotesbury Mansion and used their exclusive caterer, Feastivities. The mansion is beautiful and has such historic charm! We wanted our wedding to have a fancy house party feel and as soon as we saw Stotesbury we knew it was the place for us! We chose to have a chef bars and carts style reception. This set up would allow our guests to mingle and roam around the mansion all night without having the lull a formal seated dinner reception might have. Throughout the planning process, we dealt directly with Feastivities. They made the planning process easy and always answered all of our questions. The food was excellent! We thoroughly enjoyed our private tasting at the Feastivities headquarters along with the tasting that was held with other couples at Stotesbury. On the night of our wedding the food was just as delicious and many of our guests let us know how much they liked the food as well! The staff was friendly, professional and always made sure we had food and a drink! We were slightly nervous our family and friends would not understand the flow of our wedding since it was not a formal sit down dinner but they thought it was so fun! The party started at cocktail hour and went non stop until the reception was over! From the billiards room to the ballroom, our guests had a blast and so did we! We highly recommend Stotesbury Mansion and Feastivities for your wedding! read more

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Stotesbury Mansion is a gorgeous venue. It's located perfectly off Rittenhouse Square where you can conveniently get tons of photos. I had my wedding there in March 2016. The building itself is beautiful and doesn't even need much décor (just need lots of candles and a some flowers). My guests thought that the venue was so classic and amazing. We had nearly 100 guests, which was a good size (nearing tight squeeze). There was just enough room on the dance floor. I love that you get all three floors with a pool lounge and bridal suite on the third floor. Also, there's a neat, old elevator that people are allowed to use. Don't be fooled by the great venue pricing (especially for off season dates), they catch you with the exclusive bar and caterer. The exclusive bar package gets to be very expensive, though I will say that the service was great. Also, while the caterer is pricey, Feastivities was amazing to work with and their food was phenomenal. You're also basically working with Feastivities the whole time, which was very easy and they were great. The only big complaints are 1) bathrooms which were very outdated and the toilets were very slow to flush, but I think the toilets are being replaced in two weeks so future guests will not have this issue, and 2) A lot of my guests said that they didn't see much food passed around during cocktail hour. The cheese station was also on the second floor, which people did not know about. Overall, this is a great venue that has an intimate, classic feel. It became a pricey affair, but I wouldn't have gone anywhere else. read more

This is one of my favorite wedding locations in Philly. I have photographed here 4 times now. Once for a stylized shoot and for 3 weddings. This place has more character than almost any other wedding venue in Philadelphia. The staff is always wonderful and it's great for photos. read more

My husband and I had a beautiful wedding at the Stotesbury; however, in order to get married there, you have to work with Feastivities Catering aka the most disorganized and unprofessional company in the wedding industry. We were passed along to three different day of coordinators in the year of our wedding planning. Clearly people who work here are miserable and unqualified and Jessica Gruskin, the current day of coordinator is the most classless and biggest flake of anyone we have ever encountered. She is illegally harboring belongings left from our wedding and refusing to return them to us. She does not return emails, texts or phone calls. She lies to your face and will try to leave at 9 pm on the night of your wedding. If you want the most disorganized and poorly run event of your life, email her but don't bank on a response because she probably hasn't figured out how to work her email. A shame that a gorgeous and historical venue is being run by an incompetent garbage company. read more

Stotesbury Mantion (formally Philo) is an absolutely beautiful venue right in the heart of Philadelphia! We had our Grandfather's memorial at this venue and enjoyed welcoming over 100 guests into such an elegant, inviting and warm space. The Feastivities staff was so attentive and compassionate which was a true help during a difficult time. Since this event was unusual (not a typical wedding or birthday party), Feastivities worked with us and with the space to accomodate the memorial service as well as amazing food stations and food cart service that allowed our guests to mingle amoung the uniquely decorated floors and share stories of our grandfather. The food was outstanding and the staff friendly. Such a relief to have everything taken care of so we could enjoy reminiscing with our family and friends. Thanks Stotesbury and Feastivities! read more

Absolutely beautiful! I held a cocktail reception for my wedding here on a Friday evening in March. We had a very tight budget and held a really fancy affair smack dab in the middle of the city for a fantastic value. The Feastivities staff was fantastic, making sure me and my husband were fed, had enough to drink, and our family members were taken care of. When we dropped off our personal decor (picture frames, photo station props, centerpieces, etc.) the morning before the wedding, I had a moment of unbelief. Even without the fancy lighting, candles, people, and music, the Stotesbury Mansion ballroom is absolutely breathtaking. I couldn't believe that we were going to have the wedding of our dreams. We had 87 guests, and there was plenty of room for people to mingle, get away, and dance. It never felt empty or too crowded. read more

We just had our wedding at Stotesbury mansion August 20, 2016 & it was nothing short of amazing. The girls I worked with were so helpful & accomodating from the day we booked the venue to the final minutes of our reception. They made sure everything was going ok for my groom & I, it definitely made us feel special. The food was delicious & all of our guest raved about how gorgeous the venue was. We had so much fun on our weekend & I would recommend Stotesbury to anyone who is looking to get married in the heart of Philly. I couldn't have asked for a better time at our wedding. read more

What can I say. We had a surprise engagement party for my fiance. The staff was great. Clive met our every need on the fly. We need some extra refreshments that we hadn't planned for and he ran out to the local convenience store and had refills in ten minutes. The cost for this location and building are out of this universe. You will not find another mansion like this in Rittenhouse Square for this price. Oh yeah did mention it''s in Rittenhouse Square less than a block off the square itself!? Now for the history. Built in the 1870's. Dolly Madison's fireplace from the ORIGINAL White House. An Italian marble fireplace from the 1370s! The entire ballroom was brought over from an estate in England in the 20s brick by brick. The poolroom has an original Brunswick table frequented by Fats Domino. It goes on and on. If you are looking for the style, elegance, and posh detail that will transport you back to the Roaring 20s and Victorian era, but with a modern 2000s twist look no further. This is "As good as it gets!" read more

Excellent venue and what a great job Karen W did!! Spectacular decor and restoration of this building and interior. Had our wedding and it was superb. Highly recommended! (110 maximum). read more

We recently had our wedding reception at Stotesbury Mansion in October and it was without a doubt success. The venue has three floors, the first containing the ballroom, and the third containing pool tables. The different floors gave people different options for how they wanted to spend their time, which was nice. We didn't do a traditional sit down wedding, and I think that would probably be the better option if you wanted a larger size wedding (ours was about 100 people). The staff was also very helpful and made the night flow smoothly. Would definitely recommend. read more

I was so excited to book my wedding at this venue however, I kept playing email tag with Jessica. After finally getting in touch with her, we agreed on a date and time to tour the venue. She never showed up. My fiancé and I were greeted and by a maintenance gentleman who was also trying to get in contact with Jessica but there was no response. I am extremely disappointed in the customer service and professionalism by Jessica and the Stotesbury Mansion. read more

One of the best places to throw a fancy party in Center city. Reasonably priced, you can pretend you are one of Philadelphia's high society circa the late 19th century. The Philo or Stotesbury is an exceptional space. Conveniently located adjacent to Rittenhouse square, with a parking lot across the street for easy access for your guest. You could easily walk by it's ornate doorway, and never know it's there. Once inside you are treated to a mansion which offers so many aspects, your guest will be impressed. A lobby with a grand staircase, sitting parlor, a library, huge billiards room with two pool tables and the ballroom; complete with columns and a fireplace that was in the White house. Clive who runs Philo, is easy going, and really cares about your event. Full bar service, coat check, and other amenities makes this historical mansion the perfect place for celebrating the fact you will be having sex with the same person for the rest of your life. read more

Man i really like to make jokes and toss around witticisms on Yelp but i am going to be really sincere in this review. Clive, who arranges all special events at the Philo, is a saint. He is an extremely thoughtful and empathetic individual whose actions are always in the best interest of his clients. The Philo is an amazing, beautiful place and an epic and well maintained piece of Philadelphia's history. I feel very fortunate to have been able to have a significant piece of my personal history take place in this incredible building. The staff could not be more gracious and accommodating. They take very thoughtful care of the building and it's historical details, which are both fascinating and beautiful. It was absolutely the perfect place to get married, especially if you are personally invested in Philadelphia's history, or just really enjoy a classy place with an exceptionally rich history. The bar was formerly a speakeasy, and the organization that supports the building still provides Catholic school scholarships to students in Philadelphia. By supporting this venue you not only help maintain an incredible structure in our city, but you also help make those scholarships available. This space is as important to Philly's history as the PAFA museum or the Academy of the Sciences minus all the creepy things that reside there. I could not recommend this place more. I wish I could give it like, more than five stars. It is a perfect place to host a party. read more

This was my second choice for a wedding venue in Philadelphia. First of all, Clive who runs the place is as awesome as all the reviews say, he is helpful, kind and does not pressure you. Although we did decide to use a different venue, I liked a lot that this place has to offer. There is a large ceremony room that boasts a small stage. The piano, we were told, was not in good enough shape to use though. There is an area for the buffet and a big cocktail room with an old fireplace. there is a beatuiful grand staircase that would be great for pictures. The elevator is very awesome. Clive will take you in it when you tour the facility. Its so old, and does remind me of the tower of terror. But having an elevator is great for those with family members who can't do stairs, as the bathrooms are located upstairs. The bridal suite is beautiful, and you need to check out the shower in the bathroom! That was my favorite part. There is also a billards room with two huge pool tables that smoking is allowed in. This would be the perfect venue for a Christmas or Winter wedding. Parts of the building do need maintenece. We noticed a lot of cracks and broken things. The other downside is that they provide the bar and the choices for bar selection are limited and expensive. Tables come with the rental of the facility, but chairs are $4 each. I would definately suggest checking this place out for any type of social function. Very cool and unique place. read more

After having our wedding here this past September, I cannot say enough good things about the Stotesbury Mansion. We worked specifically with Hannah, who helped us along every step of the way, from when we booked to the day of the wedding. Hannah and Annie made it a seamless event, and made sure that both of us felt comfortable with everything that was being decided on in each step of the planning process. All of the preparation that went into that day paid off, and all the staff there made sure that everyone was taken care the entire time. I was so relieved to be in such good hands, and it allowed me to have a stress free wedding day, and enjoy every moment of our special day. Thank you so much to the Stotesbury Mansion! read more

Working with the team at Stotesbury Mansion is always a pleasure. They do such an amazing job. A spectacular venue with amazing food. We always suggest this location as an option to our clients. read more

Love, love, love this venue! One of my favorites personally and for our clients; the location is so convenient to Rittenhouse Square and local hotels, and the catering team is top notch. read more

We are so happy that we found this beautiful venue. The space is reflective of Philadelphia's history, adorned with decadent moldings, warmed with fireplaces, and was made personal through all of our unique items placed throughout the space. We received many, many compliments on the architecture, decor, etc. from our guests, especially on the ballroom. The Feastivities team that you work with through The Stotesbury Mansion is organized, clear with communication and accommodating. We would highly recommend this venue and the Feastivities Team to anyone looking for an elegant space with delicious food and a stress-free experience! read more

We had our daughter's sweet sixteen birthday here, and it was a grand event. To see her with her friends dressed to the nines in the stately setting provided by this beautiful mansion was priceless. Thank you Clive and all involved! read more