3 stars for a beautifully eccentric venue. Crazy modern with slanted hallways, cool doors, amazing lofts, a full kitchen, and the infamous seamless white walls on which you can project an almost 180 degree display. The architect who originally built it and lived in it must have been an amazing person.
A couple of things to keep in mind when you consider using this venue. First, there are people actively living in it. They generally stay out of the way, but... they're there.
Secondly, the place is managed pretty haphazardly. We met Jonathan, but rarely got to deal with him directly. Instead we dealt with people with various titles like "event planner" or "creative producer" or even "curator." On the one side they were flexible in dealing with us, and it seemed like they were honestly trying their best to be accommodating. We've done multiple walk-throughs and had a number of requests for things like security, coat check, and moving around furniture. On the downside, they swapped out our main contact, not once, not twice, not even three times, but FOUR times. First we were talking to Kaitlin. Then we were talking to Chrissy. And then it was Lauren. Lauren was amazing, everything good that happened (such as getting a real contract, a bouncer, someone to do coat check, etc.) all happened while she was helping us. Sadly, she left about two weeks before the event, and with her went a four-star review. In the end, we had Geoff. Geoff is nice, but failed to show up on time, and also gave permission to other clients to use the facilities during the time we were renting it. Whaa....? Now I'm a cool cat. So a girl wants to practice dancing while I'm setting up artwork. That's 100% okay; she's not in my way. But I'm shelling out quite a bit to rent the studio from 9am till midnight, so I'd really like to be asked. Instead, I show up at 9 not to find Geoff as promised, but some random person dancing, lol. It's funny in retrospect. To his credit, it took longer than expected to take down the work, and we were not penalized for going over time.
Third, be aware that they often book events back to back. This means that you kinda have to haul ass to get out of the place. For us, this meant a lot of manual labor the night of the event after all the guests are gone. Not so fun, so you'll need to plan for it.
Fourth, be really aware of the contract you have with them. The first contract we received was very one-sided. We were responsible for paying for any cancellation, etc. There was nothing protecting us should Madrone cancel. And considering that they were only 6 months old at the time we signed on with them, this was a bit disconcerting.
Another small mention: Madrone is located in a residential area, so there is a decibel limit. Can't go blasting the muzak.
Last but not least, parking. Aside from street parking, there is also a parking lot nearby for $2.50/car. Note that it belongs to UCSF, and Madrone has no deal with or control over it. People come and go at will there, so you take your chances. Personally, we had no issues.
Anyway, the event was still successful in the end, largely in part because we had an awesome event planner on our end (Esla Events, if you're curious :). Maybe over time things will stabilize at Madrone. At the moment though, I have hesitations about recommending them.
(For those who ever hold an art show there: the place is well lit during the day, and has remote-controlled blinds. They have plenty of plugs and spotlights--but some of the spotlights can't be adjusted. Also, you are not allowed to punch holes in the seamless walls, so art has to go on other walls or in the hallways. For a small fee, Madrone patches the holes and does the repainting. They also have a garage for loading that comes in pretty handy.) read more