The Center for Arts at the Armory

Raw space venue

The venue will provide just the space. You’ll bring in your own caterer and vendors.

Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing

Starting at $3,000 for off-peak dates, and $4,500 for peak dates

Guest capacity

Up to 230 seated guests

About this venue

The Center for Arts at the Armory is a non-profit organization that resides in a historic Armory building, serving Somerville and the Greater Boston community through arts, cultural and community events, exhibitions, markets, classes and more. The mission of Arts at the Armory is to provide an inclusive and accessible venue that creates opportunities for artists and cultural workers, brings diverse audiences together, enriches and transforms lives, and promotes the creative economy. In addition to the many events that CAA hosts that are produced independently of CAA, CAA has four signature programs: The Spotlight Series, The Performance Opportunity Program (POP), The Somerville Winter Farmers Market, and ROOTED Armory Cafe Visual Arts Exhibitions.

Best of Zola 2024

Seated guest capacity

  • 75-230

Venue type

  • Industrial Spaces
  • Urban Locations

Venue setting

  • Indoor
191 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143

Our event spaces

Mezzanine

a versatile, conveniently-located venue in the heart of Somerville’s Spring Hill neighborhood.

Adjoined by the original Drill Hall balcony, the railing-protected modern Mezzanine overlooks the Performance Hall and stage. Whether used for additional audience space or as a semi-private viewing area, the 1,700 sq. foot upper level has a capacity of up to 100 people.

Guest capacity

Up to 100 Seated

Square footage

1,700

Ideal for

Other

Guests often feel this space is

“functional”

Cafe

Look no further for a cozy and funky coffeehouse vibe; perfect for an open mic night or family gathering.

The Café is regularly open to the public and also doubles as a venue for a wide variety of artistic performances — literary readings, open mic events, concerts, art show receptions, etc. It has a capacity of 52 and can be rented for private functions. The Café also provides catering for events upon request.

Guest capacity

Up to 52 Seated

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Farewell brunch, Other, Cocktail hour, Warm and cozy

Guests often feel this space is

“Intimate”

Included in this room:

The start times, set lengths, order of performers, etc would all be up to you. Our only constraint is that we need entertainment to finish by 9:30 PM (Sun-Wed) 10:30 PM (Thur-Sat), and have the public out by 10 PM (Sun-Wed) 11PM (Thur-Sat). We have a sound system in the Café (4 vocal mics, 1 DI box, mixer, speakers, monitors). Our staff will help with the set-up, but we wouldn’t have anyone there to run sound during the event; that would be up to you.

Performance Hall

The “gem” of the Armory, this is our largest performance space.

With a new stage that has the possibility of being modular (default position/size of 32x12ft.) and over 7,000 square feet of space, the Performance Hall can host performances, conferences, markets, weddings, charity events and more. Its capacity is a maximum of 395 seated or standing. A bar and ample restrooms are available. The Performance Hall includes the Mezzanine and comes with a curved balcony that offers lofty views and additional seating.

Guest capacity

Up to 225 Seated

Up to 375 Standing

Square footage

7,000

Ideal for

Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Wedding shower, Engagement party, Other

Guests often feel this space is

“Accomodating”

Mezzanine

a versatile, conveniently-located venue in the heart of Somerville’s Spring Hill neighborhood.

Adjoined by the original Drill Hall balcony, the railing-protected modern Mezzanine overlooks the Performance Hall and stage. Whether used for additional audience space or as a semi-private viewing area, the 1,700 sq. foot upper level has a capacity of up to 100 people.

Guest capacity

Up to 100 Seated

Square footage

1,700

Ideal for

Other

Guests often feel this space is

“functional”

Available services that can be provided by The Center for Arts at the Armory

Services & amenities

  • Bar services
  • Clean up
  • Dance floor
  • Dressing room / Bridal Suite
  • Event rentals
  • Event staff
  • Lighting/Sound
  • Pet friendly
  • Set up
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Wifi

Reviews

Write a review

5.0 out of 5

4 reviews

Write a review

  • Client, Wedding Couple

    •Verified review
    •Sal Islam & S.•Sep 23, 2024

    The Center for Arts at the Armory was an exceptional choice for our wedding venue. From the very beginning, their communication was efficient, thoughtful, and thorough. The staff were incredibly supportive throughout the entire day, helping me with any last-minute needs and even providing extra materials and a unique custom cocktail. The venue itself is incredibly flexible and unique, allowing us to tailor the space perfectly to our vision - from the food we served to the mixed traditional and cultural elements of our ceremony. Importantly, the Armory is also a cost-effective option that doesn't try to capitalize on inflated wedding prices. As a 501(c)3 non-profit, they do great work for the Somerville community as well. I couldn't have had such a special wedding day without the dedicated staff at the Armory.

  • Loved getting married here!

    •Verified review
    •Nora and M.•Apr 25, 2024

    This was a perfect location for our wedding - it is the only place we could fit our large guest list and have all the conveniences of a city wedding near Boston. They worked seamlessly with our caterer, let us manage our own music (but offered the tech support!) and had excellent staff who really cared about our day. We were able to have a tour, a backup tour, a meeting with our caterer, and lots of communication with the Armory team, which included professionals in events, facilities, and the bar - the day of people were especially great! We had space for both our tisches here in separate spaces and the ceremony, cocktails, dinner, and dancing in the same space. There was parking, and our elderly guests had easy access to the space. Thanks Armory! We will treasure that this community space could hold our wedding too.

  • Ceremony and reception at the Armory

    •Verified review
    •Caleb and J.•Feb 14, 2023

    We loved our experience planning/hosting a wedding cereomony and reception at the Armory. The staff were great to work with and the whole event went off without a hitch! The space was beautiful with lighting and decorations. One of the biggest advantages is that the Armory doesn't restrict which caterer you can work with. Many of the other venues we looked at had exclusive contracts with caterers that were many-fold more expensive than the one we ultimately used. Physically, the space we rented is a large performance hall with a stage on one side and a mezzanine on the other. Both are big open hardwood-floor spaces. The space is kind of dark, but looks great with adequate lighting and decorations. The Armory offers some string-lights and up-lights for free, and we also hired a lighting company to add additional lights. We also rented some plants. We had the ceremony on the main floor, then a cocktail hour on the mezzanine during which the catering staff flipped the main floor (we had 140 guests and they all fit comfortably). A live band performed on the stage and the caterer prepped in the backstage area. There is no kitchen so the caterer had to prepare all the food ahead of time offsite. One drawback is that the Armory doesn't allow hard alcohol to be served. Some other pros are that there's a parking lot and a new hotel that opened nearby. Overall, we would highly recommend the Armory, especially if you are willing to mix and match vendors and aren't expecting wrap-around service from a place that does weddings all the time.

  • T

    •Verified review
    •Joe Rogers•Feb 14, 2023

    As a wedding planner, I have the opportunity to work with a lot of wedding venues throughout the area and my experience at The Armory was nothing other than perfect. The team was responsive to all vendors, including a demanding (and rude at times) caterer, and offered a lot of flexibility to my clients about how they wanted the room set up, and how they wanted the timeline to flow - it truly felt as though we were being welcomed into their space and guided through the process vs. some other spaces we've worked with that felt restrictive and controlling. Overall, if you're looking for a creative space that you can transform to whatever you want it to be, this is the space for you.

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