The Cultural Center at the Chester County Historical Society is sure to make your special day a day to go down in history.
The Cultural Center at the Chester County Historical Society (CCHS) in downtown West Chester is one of Chester County’s most unique wedding venues, primarily because guests are surrounded by six galleries filled with rich Chester County and Southeastern Pennsylvania history. In addition, both CCHS buildings are full of West Chester history. For instance, Horticultural Hall, where the majority of galleries are housed, was once an opera house in the late 19th century. It was built in 1848.
Photo credit: Chester County Historical Society/Horticultural Hall
And as mentioned above, CCHS’s main building was once West Chester’s YMCA which dates back to 1908. The last photo below is of a dance at our rental hall in 1947 when the building belonged to the West Chester YMCA. What we call the Auditorium now was the old YMCA’s gymnasium.
The second to last image below is from a present day wedding in the same space. Notice how in both pictures, the event planner for each event decided to hang strands of lights from the ceiling. Today, brides and grooms like our 20 foot projection screen that they can use to display a slide show. Some of the interesting aspects of CCHS that guests enjoy are the museum and our hanging lanterns in the auditorium. My favorite amenity is the 2 hour museum access for guests during the wedding reception.
Photo credit: Chester County Historical Society/Present day wedding at the former West Chester YMCA space
Since Chester County is well known as 'horse country,' some brides may dream about arriving in a carriage. With prior approval from the borough, a bride would be able to arrive in a carriage to make this idea a reality for their wedding.
Photo credit: Chester County Historical Society/1947 West Chester YMCA Dance
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