The Patterson Mansion is a historic mansion just off of Dupont Circle. It was built as the…read moreWashington, D.C. home of the editor of the Chicago Tribune in 1903 by the famous architect Stanford White (It's the only building designed by him in the city). The mansion passed onto the editor's daughter, Crissy, where it became the center of D.C.'s elite social scene. President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, stayed here when the White House was renovated. After Crissy passed away, the mansion was given to the Red Cross until the Washington Club bought the building. Now it's modernized into residences and an event space. The mansion itself is beautiful. It's a neo-classical building with a modern extension for the residences/hotel (you can book a unit through Expedia). The mansion has a grand staircase leading to the second floor with the common areas. There's a large lounge with a bar, a library, a kitchen (with breakfast for guests), and a balcony looking over Dupont Circle. The other floors house 90+ units. If you're looking for an event space that evokes D.C.'s past, this is a great location!

This is such a fabulous venue! I went here for the BLK App's Culture and Congress event for CBC…read moreWeek. It was a fully sponsored event with a delectable brunch buffet and brunch drinks the service was amazing. The food was delicious and the beverages were made just right. I would love to attend a gala at this location.

Irving's Banquet Hall is a nice venue located in Marlow Heights…read more You could easily pass this by and wouldn't know it even existed unless you were invited to a gathering/event that was held here! Once you step inside, there are 2 main areas - the first space could be set up for a DJ/musician, as there is a semi-large dance floor. In the next space, the ceilings are high and it's large and spacious for a sit-down gathering - there were tables that could seat at least 6-8 people, but with still plenty of room to move around. I really liked the different sparkly tiles and the chandeliers! Towards the back, you can have a mini buffet, or you can set up a catered area against the wall. Restrooms were also centrally located and easily accessible. Staff were on site to ensure that the lighting and the music had no issues. Located in a small strip plaza, there's plenty of parking in the shared lot. +dance floor/dining venue +plentiful parking in shared plaza lot

It's larger enough for an event and there is free parking. Easy to find on St Banabus Rd, in the…read moresame strip mall with Family Dollar but near the Checkers side.

I am in awe of this place! It is so grand and beautiful. It makes me want to get married just to…read morehave my reception here. (A gal can dream, can't she?) If I won the Mega Millions (I did not - don't stalk me) I would throw a fabulous party here! I was here last night (Thanks be to Yelp) to attend the Pearls of Purpose signature gala event to celebrate the free, aware, inspired, and restored girl www.FAIRGirls.org which was held on the upper level. The guest speakers gave their speeches in the upstairs main area, not in the rotunda area, so acoustics were okay, but it was hard to see the speakers with everyone standing around. The room is spacious, so even with food tables and two bars, there was plenty of room to mingle for the 200+ guests. This is a great location tucked away on P street near 16th. Street parking nearby wasn't too bad either.

I had the pleasure of attending Kimberly S (formally V) & Robert S's wedding this past weekend and…read moretheir wonderful reception was held here. This venue is absolutely stunning! The architecture and the decor both outside and inside is classic and elegant. Cocktail hour was held in the boardrooms, as well as open bar. (Another open bar was held across the way) The rotunda had beautiful ceilings and was the perfect setting for the dancefloor. We were served dinner in the ballroom, which is located through sliding walls from the rotunda. There were a lot of photo-ops around the whole venue, such as: the library upstairs, the winding staircase leading to the rotunda, the steps leading into the huge wooden double doors of the Institute, and so much more! DC brides should definitely consider the Carnegie Institute as one of their wedding venues!

Large event space Have your next event here…read more Clean nice Bathrooms and also a handicap accessible bathroom.

Great center with lots of amenities. Convenient location and the facility is gorgeous! We love it…read moreholding our events here!

Very clean, updated, spacious and excellent management and staff! The entire venue is worth the…read moreparty, event or whatever your planning. My family was impressed with the service and accommodations.

Bottom Line: Dated decor but timeless views…read more I don't have much to add that has not already been said - Top of the Town is all about the views of DC and Arlington. So much of the federal city can be seen from this venue. Since Top of the Town is a venue hosting events ranging from business meetings to weddings the food and drinks will be dependent on the caterer. I believe Top of the Town is situated on top of circa 1960s or 1970s condos. The elevator to get to the top is slower than the sloth in the Geico commercials and the bathrooms are dated. Also, it's a long awkward walk from the elevator to the main banquet room. Which brings up a point - there are various banquet rooms and the main one has a rooftop deck. This venue is a good 1/2 mile walk from the Rosslyn Metro station and there is a fairly significant hill as you approach the building. I hiked it in wedges but I don't think I could have done it in pumps or on a bike.

I went to Top of the Town for a work event, and it was amazing. You can't beat the views of DC…read more Love the vendors that they partner with, and the staff is always amazing. Sheridan was super helpful not only through the planning process but onsite.

McLean Gardens Ballroom is one of my favorite venues to work as a vendor. As a music supplier, I've…read morebeen helping to put on social and corporate events there since 1999. It's a beautiful and classy room perfect for a DJ, string trio or quartet, soloist and small jazz combo. I've helped countless numbers of brides and grooms with their music needs as well as corporate clients (annual parties and meetings) supplying not only music but also, A/V, projection, lighting, lecterns and technical needs for their meetings. (In short, I know this room, its acoustics, what works, what's possible and what simply won't work). When Philippe and Stuart (who I've had the good fortune to work with for the past 14++ years) took over managing this room a few years ago, operations became a lot smoother. Having an 'in house' caterer makes so much sense and reduces wear and tear on the room from outside caterers who need to bring everything in and everything out. So, I really do have a unique history with this Ballroom and highly recommend it for anyone who wants a beautiful room for their event and a top notch catering (and fun) pros who will provide a fun, unique and memorable experience.

So I've thought a long time about how I want to do this review (what with all these businesses…read moresuing for bad review lately) but I just have to do it. We had our wedding reception here in October. I'll start with the positives: + The food is fantastic + The venue is gorgeous + The prices are reasonable This would seriously be a five star review if I could overlook the service issues. I was so excited about our wedding and I seriously thought McLean Gardens Ballroom was going to throw the best event ever until about a month before the wedding. Washington Parties, the exclusive caterers at this venue, and specifically the owner, Philippe, put a pretty big damper on our big day. And not in some sort of Bridezilla "omg why aren't there sugar cubes with the coffee instead of regular sugar" kind of way. More of a "this organization didn't keep their size of the contract" kind of way. About a month before the wedding, Philippe began to be difficult to get a hold of. And when we did talk, it was like we had the same conversation over and over again (it didn't seem like he remembered anything we had talked about in previous conversations or emailed about). And when I would get him on the phone, he would just tell me what I wanted to hear to get me off the phone. He promised me just about anything I asked for. I should have realized it was a sign. So here's everything that specifically went down: - To start off with, they had another event there the day of our wedding. This, in itself, is not unusual or bad. What was bad was the timing. According to our contract, we were supposed to have the room two hours before the event to get set up. Our reception started at 6:00. Their party ended at 5:00. In the end, they worked it out but I found out about this conflict the day before my wedding. I feel like I should also note that we booked the room in April of 2010. When it came time to send out the invitations, I confirmed with Philippe that the time would be ok. He mentioned nothing of the conflict at that time. Stress? Yes. Stress. - We selected three types of DC Brau to be served at our reception, Heiniken, and left it up to the venue to select a couple of domestic beers to serve. They chose Milwaukee's Best and Steel Reserve. Malt. Frikkin. Liquor. At the time, I thought it was funny but after everything that transpired later in the night, it's just one more thing that was screwed up. - According to our contract, they were supposed to serve "mini desserts" with the cake. They were never served. Ok, so any of the above I could have just laughed off. But what happened at the end of the night really soured me on the service for this place: - So Philippe let the Bridesmaids and I keep our stuff in his office (when we actually booked the venue, there was an unused room that we were told we could use while we were there but by the time we had our event it had been rented so Philippe let us use his office). Unfortunately, the door would lock if you pulled it shut behind you so we had to keep it propped open. One of my 'maids accidentally pulled it shut behind her at the end of the evening. Oh crap, well Philippe has the key, right? OH, Philippe left 20 minutes ago. Well crap. Let's ask the assistant he left in charge to call him. Wait, why is the assistant trying to jimmy the door open with a butter knife? Oh, Philippe isn't coming back? But my ID and telephone are inside and I'm flying out for my honeymoon tomorrow morning and I need the ID to get on the plane... So a couple of my drunk guests are starting to talk about breaking down the door (we were obviously not letting them). The assistant turned around and yelled at everyone to just get away from the door and disappears. Did not ask politely, yelled. Doesn't tell us what he's going to do. Doesn't say he's going to try to keep fixing it. From what I understand, he just left and kept going about the business of cleaning up (I didn't see myself so I have no idea). It basically took me calling Philippe up myself on one of my guests phones and begging him to come back. He showed up almost an hour later, unlocked the door (without saying a word to me sitting right there in my wedding dress or even looking at me), and just walked away. From what I understand, he actually yelled at my mother in law and my florist because they were having a glass of wine while they were cleaning up (his exact words were "PARTY'S OVER" as he snatched their glasses away). If that wasn't allowed, fine but he yelled at them. The caterers had shooed everyone out the door by 10:30 (we, contractually, had until 11:00 to clean up). In conclusion, I would not recommend this venue unless Philippe hires someone to manage the events or to assist him. He is a fantastic cook but disorganized and his people skills suck when he's stressed out.

Working with Meg and the team at Fathom Gallery was nothing short of a dream come true. From start…read moreto finish, they were an absolute delight to work with and truly brought every part of my vision for my birthday dinner to life. The space itself is stunning the beautiful brick walls, gorgeous furniture, and large windows create such a warm, stylish, and inviting atmosphere. They also work directly with RSVP Catering, and that experience was just as amazing. Working with Casey and the RSVP team was seamless, and the food was absolutely incredible. Every single guest was raving about it! Everything came together perfectly, and the entire experience exceeded my expectations. I couldn't have imagined a better place (or team) to host such a special celebration. Highly, highly recommend!

Fathom was the perfect space for my 30th birthday celebration with about 40 friends. I am a…read moreprofessional events manager and wedding coordinator, so I have been in LOTS of different DC venues. Feathom is gorgeous and requires almost nothing at all to make it shine. Inside, the brick walls, sleek lounge furniture, professional lighting and big windows make the space feel chic and open. The rooftop is unmatched. Big boxwoods, string lights, flower boxes, professional sound system to set the vibe- it is perfection. My guests were absolutely blown away by every detail and shared that they, too, will soon be hosting their celebrations with Fathom. The space is designed for parties so the planning process is turnkey. They include printing of whatever photos you'd like for the gallery frames and ghost mirror, you simply share the files ahead. Their sound system is wired to have different sound levels in every room (including outside) and it's all easily controlled on an Ipad. You just share a public spotify playlist- could not be easier. There's a fun white board wall for which they provide colorful markers. Their team keeps the bulding clean and organized, and because they host so many events- they have small things you may have forgotten and are generous with offering them to you in a pinch. Emily and Grace are incredible to work with. They make the process easy, providing everything you need right from the start so there are no surprises or stresses in the planning. Ramiro worked our event and was exemplary- going above and beyond with set up, bar service, and break down. Plus, the owners are deeply charitable and support various non-profits in DC. It feels great knowing that a space this lovely is run by such lovely folx.