We recently attended a NYE party at the Gillespie and the event space was great. The ballroom is large and very attractive. It seems like it would be a good space for any large event. The largest downside was that the bathrooms are limited--especially upstairs where the balcony is. read more

The Gillespie - NYE 2019 - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

The wedding I attended here was beautiful and the space was beautiful. However, the bathrooms definitely need attention. Multiple stalls would not lock in the women's restroom and one lady was stuck and not strong enough to get out on her own. read more

My company had our end of year celebration in the Gillespie Loft this year. We arrived the morning of the event to set up and noticed the ceiling was leaking throughout the whole venue. We were told the issue would stop closer to event time. We showed up an hour before the event and the leaks only got worse. Wet spots all over the ground, tables and chairs were not only a tacky look but also a safety hazard as there were no wet floor signs. We called the week after to request a refund or discount and were informed we not only could not get a discount but would not receive our security deposit because one person brought in a single outside beverage from their house and we did not remove our equipment immediately after the event. I have requested to talk to upper management and the owner, it is a month later and I have not received a call back. A nice event that our company looks forward to every year seemed cheap and poorly organized because of a venue that is poorly ran. Not to mention the venue was extremely hard to work with prior to the event as well. An extremely disappointing experience unfortunately. read more

We recently attended the Harry Potter inspired beer festival at "The Gillespie" and had a great time. The venue itself has so much potential and could really be turned into an authentic looking "Great Hall". For only 35 dollars a ticket we were able to sample unlimited amounts of tasty beers, provided by local and national breweries. This was the first time "The Gillespie" has hosted this event and while we definitely enjoyed ourselves, there is also room for improvement. If this event is going to take place again next year a few more Harry Potter related decorations and activities would be nice. Another point of criticism is that there is only one male and one female restroom in the entire building which caused some very long waiting lines. read more

The Gillespie - The Gillespie - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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We thought the Gillespie was a beautiful, vintage venue for special events. The rooms were spacious without seeming like a cavern and had intimate places for tete-a-tetes. The facilities were clean and in good working order (always a must for me because I visit them frequently). The interior is gorgeous with the large hanging chandeliers, the plaster bas relief molding and signature diamond floor. Did not know it was originally a bank! With the second floor mezzanine overlooking the first floor main ballroom, there is plenty of places to party. The entrance and front lobby are stunningly vintage including the elevator that slowly makes its way up to the large 4th floor event area. The security staff at the event made me feel very comfortable when entering and exiting. I don't know if this was a part of the Gillespie or set up by Wonder Woman Emily and her Super Hero Louisville Yelp Team, but it was a nice touch to have security at the door. read more

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We got married at the Gillespie June 16th so I am late in writing this but we just returned from our Honeymoon and finally are out of the post-wedding haze and have time to catch up on things. For anyone looking into the Gillespie, we had an AMAZING experience and I would strongly recommend it. I last minute scheduled a tour with them and when we were picking a venue and it was the best decision I made. What a fabulous experience everyone had at the Gillespie! It was so perfect and beautiful. All of our guests raved about every aspect of your venue. And everyone at the Gillespie was so professional and helpful and organized. We greatly appreciate everything! We looked at many venues and the Gillespie was by far the very best in Louisville in many ways (see below) in our opinion! We looked at most ALL of the venues in the Louisville area since we did not have a strong direction when we started the search. I truly think we may have toured over 25 venues trying to find one that felt right. The beauty of the venue is so impressive and makes such a statement. I love the detailed ceilings on the second floor, ALL chandeliers everywhere, the gorgeous entry foyer, the furniture and wood walls and doors in the bride's dressing area, the beautiful flooring on the main floor, the lighted draping above the main floor, the branches with up-lighting - exquisite!!!!, the fact that guests could look down on the main floor while upstairs, the vault in the basement, and the iron gate doors leading in to the main floor, and the gold chairs that accent all of the gold on the main floor. Just the GRAND nature of all of that was spectacular! We also were extremely impressed with the 4th floor venue and so many of the details there as well. Also, you offered many things that NO other venue offered, which helped tremendously with our budget: the discount on the liquor, the centerpieces, the tablecloths, and the up-lighting. I have NO suggestions for change. LOVED EVERYTHING! read more

What a beautiful venue! The chandeliers are stunning and the space is incredible! It has been years since I last walked inside but I was amazed yet again! I highly recommend this for a venue space of any kind!!! read more

A profoundly unprofessional and disappointing experience when we booked a wedding. I'm in the service industry and fully appreciate the challenges everyone is facing during the pandemic, but we were treated with disregard - they just wanted our money (deposit). They made unacceptable adjustments (not due to gov't mandates), and then questioned why we needed to cancel. No one needs extra issues with a wedding, and unfortunately serving the client is not their priority. read more

The Gillespie is a gorgeous venue located downtown for events and weddings. I love the huge chandeliers and marble floors. Even the bathrooms are pretty. I've been here for a few events and a wedding and thought it was well organized and beautifully decorated. Parking is fairly easy as long as you don't mind paying for a parking garage. Otherwise, on street parking can be a challenge. read more

The venue is gorgeous, the customer service was lacking. Both venue contacts, Janna and Erin, acted as if we were a bother to them. I was the coordinator for the wedding, but I am also a personal friend of the bride and groom. Maybe The Gillespie is used to treating outside vendors or coordinators poorly, but it was unacceptable. My friend's wedding was beautiful but the experience was tainted by the bad attitude of the Gillespie employees. They work in the hospitality industry, and not once did I feel welcomed or see hospitality from them. In the worst moments they were rude and condescending, in the best moments they were neutral and tolerable. Will not be recommending them to anyone. I will list just a few items to consider. Photos on their website show the venue to be brightly lit, and that is not the case. All blinds in the venue were closed and it was extremely dim- when the photographer and I brought up that the bride booked this location hoping for it to look like the photos advertised on their website, our Gillespie contact told us we could edit the photos after to make it look brighter. All the photos on their website show the room with blinds open and we were told by Erin that we couldn't open the blinds, and if we did and anything broke that we would be charged for it. The blinds were extremely old and fragile so they certainly would break if we tried to open them all, not to mention the string to pull them open was about at about a 10ft height, and out of reach.The space was not what was advertised and they were not willing to accommodate our requests. As the processional was beginning, Janna was helping open the curtain to let the wedding party in. The girls were waiting up stairs since the groom was walking his parents down the aisle first. The bride and groom did not want to see each other before the ceremony, so as soon as the groom started down the aisle, the bridesmaids and bride would come down the elevator. Jenn began arguing with me about why the girls weren't down yet while the groom and his parents were standing in between us, about to walk down the aisle. I had a plan in place and instead of being focused on the ceremony which had already begun, I was arguing with a venue contact about why I was doing what I was doing. Completely distasteful and unhelpful, and honestly almost screwed up the timing of the ceremony. In the end, my bride and groom thought everything went perfectly and she had no need to argue about what my plan was after the ceremony had already started. Final note. As soon as dancing started, my husband and I jumped on the dance floor. If I did not agree to coordinate the wedding for my friends, I would have been attending as a guest and I was excited to celebrate with them. Midway through dancing, Janna came onto the dance floor to get my attention and asked me to come talk to her. She said she knew I was having fun dancing, but that my coordinator responsibilities were not over for the night. She said guests were leaving and our sparkler exit photo was going to look bad so we should stop dancing to go take the photo. I responded by letting her know that my bride and groom cared more about spending time dancing with the people they love than getting the perfect photo and I went back onto the dance floor. This could have been done in a helpful way, offering a suggestion. However it was said in an accusatory and condescending tone, as if I was messing something up by doing what my bride and groom preferred. I was genuinely shocked that she was acting as if I shouldn't be dancing and celebrating with my friends. The exit photo looked beautiful even with less people, and my bride and groom loved every minute they had on the dance floor. Again, the venue is beautiful (if you are okay with the dim lighting). I am simply writing this review so you know what kind of customer service you will be receiving. read more

This venue is probably one of the most beautiful venues in the area! I was blown away from the first meeting. They were very on top of communication and answers any and all questions as I had during my wedding planning process. The venue included bar, small tabletop arrangements, linens, and uplighting. Very happy with hosting my wedding here. read more

We held our wedding reception at the Loft at the Gillespie this year and we are so glad we did. The Loft is a beautiful modern space with exposed brick, tall ceilings, and pretty paper chandeliers. The staff was so accommodating and were so helpful as we planned our wedding. I met with Jenn at least 5 times prior to the wedding and she was always so willing to answer questions. The Gillespie requires renters to purchase the bar through them and the bar staff was wonderful the night is the wedding. The Gillespie includes tables, chairs, and linens with the rental which was such a plus for us! Jenn and Erin were always quick to answer and communication was seamless. read more

Beautiful downtown event space. It's located one block from 4th street live. They have beautiful marble floors in the ballroom, a cool loft space and now a third space call Passalino's. Michelle is a pleasure to work with and can help you plan your event. We used Ladyfingers Catering and The Flower Studio for a perfect event! read more

We went to the New Years Eve party last night and were very disappointed. The event started at 9pm. We arrived at about 9:30. Once we received our wrist bands and made our way into the party, we were told by the staff that all seating was reserved and that only stand up tables were available on a first come first serve basis. By that time all the tables were occupied. With this sort of event it is important for those wanting to dance to have a place to leave their drinks. This was not the case last night and the mess on the dance floor made it evident that it was very bad planning. We stood upstairs on the rail and witnessed countless spills on the floor and on several folks who were dancing! It was a mess!! The upstairs ladies restroom was disgusting to begin with, but was even more so as one of the two stalls was not working which caused many drunk individuals to use the shower stalls as a restroom. All this before 10pm! After my first visit to this restroom, I used the downstairs restroom, which wasn't much better. For such a timeless venue to have horrible restrooms is ridiculous. In my opinion. the Gillespie was not upfront with the seating/ standing circumstances of the event, and did a poor job of keeping the restrooms in working order. Why didn't they have someone available to correct the non-functioning toilet upstairs? There should be someone periodically checking on such things at such a large gathering. I would guess that there were 500+ people at this event. I shudder to think of having a wedding in this venue. Having restrooms out of commission could be a disaster! The bar service was good. They were quick and poored good drinks. The wine selection was very limited. But, they seemed to keep everyone happy. Again, bad planning as they were running out of glasses by 1am. Also there was relatively no service in moving empty glasses which were sitting everywhere. The band and DJ were also good. I just wish we could have actually danced. I'm surprised anyone was able to after a couple hours as the dance floor was totally sticky from all the spilled drinks. read more

Came here for a Yelp art event. The space is older, which shows in some outdated fixtures, plaster, and rickety elevator. I understand it is vintage, but buildings require upkeep and maintenance (which is usually costly). The downstairs did have a good balcony and had plenty of space. The upstairs, on the other hand, is beautiful with open space and wood floors. I didn't check out the restrooms while I was here. Overall, okay location. read more

Had my wedding here on October 27, 2018 and I regret giving these people my money and trusting them with my event. Rehearsal was freezing we asked the wedding coordinator stated that it will be warmer for my wedding. As I'm getting prepared for the wedding I'm getting phone calls saying this place is freezing they won't do anything about it, they are being nasty about the situation. Upon my arrival I am meet by my caterer saying this place has no hot water! He says I have to run across the street to ask can I buy some hot water. If there is no hot water no food. So he end of paying a restaurant for hot water and had to warm up his own water for hot water.( there is a video) As I get upstairs I instantly notice how cold it was, I mean it was colder than outside.( I have pictures of the thermostat) coordinator repeated it will warm up when your guest arrive. Long story short, it never did my guest left my wedding during pictures and during reception because it was so uncomfortable. The Gillespie tried to offer us bottles of alcohol stating "we want to try to warm you up from the inside out" but me and my husband don't drink, which was stated several times so we gave it to our guest. Cutting my cake everyone that was there had to turn they cell phone light on to get a good picture. After cutting the cake, we just decided to clean up and leothe venue even with time available. When I see my guest I hear how well my food was how beautiful the wedding was but the first thing everyone always say is WHY WAS IT SO COLD, IT WAS BEAUTIFUL BUT FREEZING. This is ridiculous! We have so many pictures of all the obstacles that we where faced with. Will be posted soon! It was the 4th! Pictures coming soon. If there was an event after mines if it was perfect it's because of my team! Will be taking further action!!!!! read more

My niece had her wedding here last night. While the wedding was beautiful and she was a beautiful bride, the place was hotter than hell. Everyone was sweating, even myself and I'm a cold natured person. Everyone was burning up. I guess they don't know how to use an air conditioner. It was absolutely awful. Would never recommend this place. read more

My girlfriend and I went here for their NYE 2016 party. We had little to go on but very short reviews of their NYE 2015 party, which all seemed to rave. When we showed up we saw someone pushed against the outside wall, being arrested. That should have been the tip-off. As we entered we saw huge bouncers that made it look more like a thuggish club than a classy event. We got our wristbands and entered the main "ballroom" to immediately realize that basically all girls were early to mid 20s and both dressed and acting like strippers or hookers. All the guys were probably mid to late 20s and clearly looking to hook up for the night with girls dressed and acting like strippers or hookers. Practically everyone was plastered, which was ironic because we stood in line for over 25 minutes waiting for a drink from the "open bar," and never moved forward a single inch. We ended up leaving just about 20 minutes before minute and rushing to a tiny, neighborhood bar that proved to be far more worthwhile than the time and money we wasted at the Gillespie. Best part...because they had both mine and my girlfriend's email addresses (that's how the tickets work), they sent us both an automated email to complete a survey about our experience at the event. Without realizing the other was doing it, we both wrote virtually the exact same review. Within 24 hours they contacted her to apologize and offer her free tickets to any number of upcoming events. Here I am almost a month later and no reply from them. I guess they figured they only cared whether the girl was happy because, as long as the girls show up at their next event, they know they can still sell plenty of tickets to (seemingly mid to late 20s, drunken and horny) guys. Class acts at the Gillespie, both customers and the ones running the joint, let me tell ya! read more

This place is beautiful! I was really surprised when I went to Yelp's Art in Action event amd saw how big and spacious it is. Definitely good for events and weddings. read more

The Gillespie is an absolutely stunning venue. The size and grandeur of the space is remarkable, and being there makes you feel like you are a part of something special. It's not just the venue itself, but the people are such a pleasure to work with. Erin was incredibly kind, attentive, and professional, and really took our experience to the next level. Such great people! I don't usually post reviews, but The Gillespie warranted one as it was really just fantastic. read more

Went to Drew and Jenny Wisdoms wedding this past Saturday. 08/18/18. Beautiful place. Food was Awesome. But it was extremely hot. We all were miserable. Employees were not very nice. Guess they were hot too. Just expected to be impressed but left disappointed. read more

We got married here, the building is BEAUTIFUL! The bridal suit is so gorgeous. The staff doesnt know what they are doing though.

I've visited here a few times. The building is pretty, but that's about it. It's very difficult to justify the cost of the space, to me at least. The restrooms are horrid. I feel bad leaving such a poor review since the staff was attentive and pleasant, but the structure of the building itself leaves much to be desired. The main level floor is dated and tacky. The elevator is quite old, and dirty, and the only way to get to the top floor venue which is where i was most recently (Save the fire escape). one of the bathroom stall doors was broken and there was no hot water. For the wedding i attended in the same building earlier in the fall, the hot water was also not working. I'm a grown man and can wash my hands in cold water, but for what i heard they paid, it seemed like an amenity that should not have been a problem to provide. Additionally, for the wedding i attended, there was also another wedding in the building. The elevator was constantly full and by the end of the night, i could tell a few guests from the other wedding were stopping by uninvited. I'm not sure who provided the table cloths for the wedding i went to, but they were wrinkled and stained, an unfortunate detail that i heard spoken about several times that night. just a shame. i don't know who owns or operates this building, but i hope you find this helpful. read more