I know you're located in Center City Philadelphia, so where do my guests park?
The Society has a fenced-in parking lot that
holds roughly 40 cars. Outside of business hours, there
is usually plenty of street parking along Spring Garden (barring
any other major activities happening in the area at the same time).
Some of the street parking is metered, some of it is not.
How many hours can we rent your rooms? Will you charge us extra if we go over a certain number of hours?
The German Society rents by the room, not by the hour.
Therefore, it is the same charge whether you rent the room for
one hour or twelve. Provided a volunteer is here to
monitor the building, it is generally acceptable for you to drop
off items a day or two beforehand, or come in to decorate a few hours
prior to your event.
Can we bring in our own items and decorate your rooms?
Absoluely. In fact, the way you set up the room gives us ideas
for how we can decorate for our own events! As long as none of
your decorations are damaging, i.e. no nails, tacks or tape, you can
use lights, potted plants, flowers, banners, garland,
etc. We permit the use of candles in every room except the Library (for obvious reasons).
Can we smoke inside the German Society?
We are a smoke-free facility - that includes foyers, doorways
and stairways leading into the building. You can smoke outside,
but we kindly ask that you dispose of cigarette butts properly
(preferably NOT on the steps or ground outside of our building.)
Can we bring in live music or a DJ?
Certainly. We can even give you suggestions as to where to
put your music in order to maximize the acoustics in each of our rooms.
Do you have tables and chairs we can use?
The Society has rectangular folding tables (that seat 10) and
accompanying folding chairs that can be put in any arrangement you
choose. If you would like round or high-top tables, you will
have to rent those from your caterer or a party supplier.
What if we need to rent tables, chairs, etc.?
We will be happy to receive your rented items and hand them back
over to the rental company again, as long as the drop-off and pick-up
are scheduled between the hours of 9:30am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday.
Please let us know when you schedule your deliveries so we can
meet the drivers and have someone available to sign for them.
There is no additional charge for this service.
Do you have a bar area?
Both the Ratskeller and Auditorium have bars with refrigeration units.
These can be used to serve both alcoholic and non-alcoholic
beverages. We do not have a beer tap.
Are you handicap accessible?
Due to the fact that our buildings are 100+ years old,
we are not presently handicap accessible. There are five or six
steps to get into the building and the restrooms are located in
the Ratskeller (basement). We plan to begin installing an
elevator this year (2008), but no completion date has been set.
Do you have outdoor space we can use?
Yes. We have a small fenced-in courtyard on the
Spring Garden side of our building. Depending on your usage of
it, we may charge you a small fee to cover the landscaping costs to prepare it properly for your event.
Does the German Society have a list of caterers we are required to use?
While
the GSP can certainly recommend a few caterers with which we have
established relationships or who have done events on our premises
before, we do not have a select list of caterers from which you MUST
choose. You may bring in any caterer you choose, or you can even cook
the food here in our kitchen(s) yourself.
To what extent do we have to clean up?
At the end of your event, you are required to leave the
space the
way you found it. Trash needs to be taken out and deposited in
the containers in the parking lot. If there are spills or
other messes on the tabletops, floors, or restrooms, please clean
them up. Some caterers will arrange to take care of this for you.
All food must be properly sealed, refrigerated, or disposed
of at the
end of your event. Dirty dishes must (at the very least) be
rinsed. We inspect our spaces after each event, and if we need to
enlist a cleaning party, we will retain your cleaning deposit as stated
below.
Are there any additional fees I should know about?
Yes. We charge a refundable cleaning deposit for each room
rented. If the terms of clean-up mentioned above are not adhered
to, the Society will call in a cleaning party to take care of the mess, and
therefore will keep your deposit to cover
those costs. If the rooms are left in proper condition, the
German Society will fully refund your cleaning deposit.
Do you have room dimensions and floor plans to help me setup my event?
The dimensions can be found on each room's respective webpage. We do not presently have floor plans available.
If I purchase items for my event that I'm left with once it's over, can I leave them behind as a donation?
Yes. Some parties who have rented our space find that, at
the end of their celebration, they're left with extra
items they purchased specifically for the event that
they don't know what to do with. So, for example, if you
purchase a candle holder for each of the 20 tables at your wedding
reception and need a home for them once the event is done, we
welcome you to leave them behind as a donation. We will even
issue you a receipt for the fair market value of the items to deduct
from your taxes.
What is the general neighborhood like around the German Society?
During the day, the area along Spring Garden Street is
well-populated and trafficked. At night, we usually recommend
people to walk to their cars in pairs or groups just to deter the
approach of any unwanted individuals. Also, the hidden nightclubs
along Spring Garden Street tend to come alive at midnight and
beyond; therefore, we urge you to take that into consideration
when planning the times for your event, especially if you have seniors
or children attending.
What if I want to come and see your space in person?
Please do! We hardly ever rent to parties site unseen, so call Sharan Knoell at 215-627-2332 or email info at
germansociety dot org to set up an appointment. Generally, we are
available Monday-Friday, 9:30am-4:30pm, but we will certainly make
every effort to accommodate your schedule.
German Society of
Pennsylvania
611 Spring
Garden Street
Philadelphia,
PA 19123
(P) 215-627-2332
(F) 215-627-5297
