Josephine Butler Parks Center
Select services venue
The venue will provide the space, plus a few extras.
Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing
Starting at $3,900 for off-peak dates, and $5,000 for peak dates
Guest capacity
Up to 200 seated guests
About this venue
Overlooking Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, the Italian Renaissance Revival former embassy is now a vibrant community space for events of all kinds. Whether you are planning a small, intimate staff retreat in the marble-columned porte-cochere, or a large gathering in our spacious grand ballroom, the historic Josephine Butler Parks Center will set a stunning scene for your celebration.
Our event spaces
Ballroom
The largest space in our Renaissance- Revival style mansion.
This space features exceptional views of Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park and beautiful natural light. Perfect for wedding ceremonies, receptions, cocktail galas and brunch.
Guest capacity
Up to 200 Seated
Up to 225 Standing
Ideal for
Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Welcome party, Farewell brunch, Couples luncheon, Baraat, Cocktail hour
Guests often feel this space is
“Surprised and delighted”
Included in this room:
- Dimmers for lighting customization - Chandeliers - Hardwood floors - 2 working fireplaces - Juliet Balcony
South Gallery
The 2nd largest event space on the 2nd floor.
An intimate space that mirrors the views of the Ballroom. It can be utilized for buffets, dinners, ceremonies, or daytime events.
Guest capacity
Up to 50 Seated
Up to 75 Standing
Square footage
412
Ideal for
Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Farewell brunch
Included in this room:
- Dimmers for lighting customization - Natural lighting - Baby Grand Piano
Ballroom
The largest space in our Renaissance- Revival style mansion.
This space features exceptional views of Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park and beautiful natural light. Perfect for wedding ceremonies, receptions, cocktail galas and brunch.
Guest capacity
Up to 200 Seated
Up to 225 Standing
Ideal for
Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Welcome party, Farewell brunch, Couples luncheon, Baraat, Cocktail hour
Guests often feel this space is
“Surprised and delighted”
Included in this room:
- Dimmers for lighting customization - Chandeliers - Hardwood floors - 2 working fireplaces - Juliet Balcony
South Gallery
The 2nd largest event space on the 2nd floor.
An intimate space that mirrors the views of the Ballroom. It can be utilized for buffets, dinners, ceremonies, or daytime events.
Guest capacity
Up to 50 Seated
Up to 75 Standing
Square footage
412
Ideal for
Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Farewell brunch
Included in this room:
- Dimmers for lighting customization - Natural lighting - Baby Grand Piano
Available services that can be provided by Josephine Butler Parks Center
Services & amenities
- Clean up
- Dressing room / Bridal Suite
- Event rentals
- Event staff
- Lighting/Sound
- Pet friendly
- Set up
- Wifi
Rentals
- Chiavari Chairs
- Lighting
- Sound / AV
- Standard Chairs
Reviews
Write a review5.0 out of 5
3 reviews
Stunning venue
Josephine Butler Parks Center (JPBC) is such a beautiful venue, we had our wedding there in November of 2024 and couldn’t have picked a better place. The entire process of venue selection can be daunting, and JBPC made it easy for us. We signed up for an initial walkthrough and fell in love with the history of the building, the unique layout, and the beautiful art and color schemes in each room. Steve guided us on our tour and answered all our questions, and we knew right away that this was where we wanted to hold our wedding. Taking several months to plan our wedding, we coordinated with JPBC staff to do two additional tours where they answered even more questions and allowed us to see what different lighting configurations looked like and make measurements to finalize our configuration for the big day. For the reception, we decided to seat our guests in the main ballroom, have the dance floor on the second floor foyer, place the bar out on the balcony, and serve the buffet and cake in the south gallery. Seating was a little tight in the main ballroom, as we had our 140 guests sit at fifteen round tables that were 5 feet in diameter, with a sweetheart table by the larger fireplace. But we made it work and it was a fantastic day for us overall!
A beautiful place to get married
We had the most beautiful wedding here in September. The center was perfect for our ceremony and reception, where we had 90 guests. From first providing a tour of the venue to answering random questions in the months after, Katrina and Ashleigh were extremely helpful and we appreciated their flexibility. The venue provides chairs and tables, which was very helpful planning-wise. One note: There are a lot of stairs and there is no elevator, so this may not be the space for you if you need more accessibility. We received many compliments about the inherent beauty of the space, and we loved that it had separate spaces. On the first floor, we had a board game room, bar and photo booth room setup, as well as our guest book. On the second floor, we had another bar on the terrace, the food room for a dinner buffet and dessert afterward, and the main ceremony/reception ballroom. If we had to do it again, we'd do it at Josephine Butler in a heartbeat.
Great all around
We had a great experience with Josephine Butler Parks Center as our venue. The space is beautiful and the price is hard to beat in the area. We were getting compliments on the venue all night at the wedding! The only thing we did not love is that it is not completely accessible, as there is no elevator. We were told there is plans for an elevator, but not sure when that will be.
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