Heinz History Center

1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA

$3,850 starting price

251-300 guest capacity

This venue can host up to 300 guests

About this vendor

A wedding ceremony and reception at the Senator John Heinz History Center can be truly historic! The non-traditional atmosphere, central location, exciting exhibitions, and our professional staff all help to bring your vision to life and offer a unique experience for you, your family, and friends. Our exclusive vendors, Common Plea Catering and Mosaic Linens, enhance and elevate the site and taste of your event, making it a night you will and your guests will never forget! Facility & Capacity: The Heinz History Center offers stunning places for Weddings and Receptions for couples and up to 325 of their guests! A variety of memorable venue space offerings are available including our 1st Floor Great Hall, 4th Floor Campbell Gallery, 5th Floor Mueller Center, and 6th Floor Library & Archives. Included in your Event Rental at the History Center: - Wedding & Event Coordination from start to finish with our professional events team; this includes the creation of your timeline, custom floorplans, staging of first looks, vendor coordination, placement of personal décor, cookie table organization, and multiple planning appointments. - One-Hour Ceremony Rehearsal the day before the wedding, facilitated by your coordinator - Access to our Banquet equipment including banquet chairs, easels, and a variety of tables: cocktail tables (high & low), rounds, square, rectangular and metal café tables. - Complimentary Bridal Rooms, 3 hours prior to event start - Exclusive access for your guests to tour the museum during operating hours on your wedding day - Access to all museum exhibits for engagement photo session & wedding day photos - On-site, 24 hour Security Officer

Amenities + details

Ceremony Area

Dressing Room

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

Outdoor Event Space

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Covered Outdoors Space

Liability Insurance

On-Site Accommodations

Ceremony Types

Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony

Guest Capacity

Up to 300

Settings

Ballroom
Historic Venue
Museum
Rooftop

Venue Service Offerings

Bar & Drinks
Cakes & Desserts
Destination Weddings
Destination Wedding Planning
Food & Catering
Planning

4.9

out of 5.0

41 reviews

Search reviews

10/28/2024 • Jake A

Heinz was perfect and gorgeous, and our coordinator, Sandi, was wonderful to work with. We wanted an atypical, Halloween-ish wedding that would make us laugh more than anything, and Sandi delivered. We never felt pushed to do things a certain way, and any unique quirks we wanted to incorporate, she helped us with. We tried to make sure we had as many details covered, but even what we forgot, she and the rest of the team were able to take what we had and run with it. We don't have our own photos because we were too busy enjoying the entire night, but if you're looking for a venue that has an industrial vibe you can have fun with and is hardly traditional, Heinz History Center is a perfect spot.

8/13/2023 • Amanda G

Our experience with the Heinz History Center was amazing. The re are a variety of spaces to choose from, and we ultimately chose to have our ceremony and reception in the Great Hall, and our cocktail hour in the Campbell Gallery. Having a few exhibits open during our cocktail hour added a unique touch that our guests really enjoyed. I didn't see this advertised, but the venue comes with an event coordinator. We were fortunate to work with Cassie, who was an absolute standout. Cassie answered all of my emails almost immediately and met with us multiple times as we were planning. She coordinated with all our vendors leading up to the wedding so we had nothing to worry about or set up the morning of our wedding. I cannot give enough kudos to Cassie and we had a wonderful time at the Heinz History Center!

4/03/2023 • Nick G

We were SO lucky to have our wedding at the Heinz History Center and work with their incredible coordinator Sandi, who was so helpful, kind, and knowledgable throughout the entire process—we knew we were in great hands with her and the History Center team. Every conversation and meeting had us feeling more relieved (and less stressed!) as they worked with us, listened to us, made recommendations, and connected with our vendors. The end result was a perfect day, masterfully managed by the History Center team in their beautiful, distinctive space that felt uniquely tailored to us for that day. We could not have asked for a better wedding experience and will be forever grateful!

8/01/2022 • Brianna M

We had our reception at the Heinz History Center, and we are so grateful to have had our special day here. From the beginning, Cassie, the events director/coordinator, was warm and welcoming, so informative, and helped us to see all that HHC had to offer for weddings. My husband and I knew immediately that we wanted to have our reception there. Not only is the space beautiful, but cocktail hours are able to be held in some of the galleries, and guests have full (free!) access to the museum during the wedding day. With having many out of town guests for our wedding, it was important to us that our guests would have activities to do during their stay, as well as in between our ceremony and reception. Cassie was extremely wonderful to work with- being that I was planning from out of state, our communications were mainly through email, and she was so responsive and answered any and all questions I had. She truly made the planning process smooth sailing, and the organization of HHC with the day-of timeline was spectacular. It made the day (and leading up to it) a stress-free experience. Our guests had SUCH an amazing time at our wedding, and were raving about the venue for weeks after. If you are looking for a unique venue, where your guests can enjoy the museum by day and enjoy a beautifully transformed venue by night, as well as have a pleasant, efficient, helpful, and kind team to work with, then look no further than the HHC! Overall, we were so happy that we chose to have our reception at HHC, and it will forever be an unforgettable evening. We can't thank the team at HHC enough for making this an all-around smooth and pleasant planning & day-of experience!

1/08/2022 • Anna S

We had to switch venues in early 2021 for our Fall 2021 wedding reception. We were so incredibly lucky that the Heinz History Center was available and got to work with Cassie and her team! This venue is so unique and absolutely amazing, and guests raved about the event. We held our cocktail hour in the 4th Floor Campbell Gallery, and guests enjoyed exploring the exhibits. The Great Hall is such a fun location with the Pittsburgh Trolley, old cars, and Kennywood racer. Cassie was so organized and her and her team took such great care of us, providing schedule options, layout options, and answering all of the many questions we had. Everything ran so smoothly, and our wedding was a perfect day! We are so grateful in the end that we had to switch because we couldn’t imagine our wedding day anywhere other than the Heinz History Center now!

6/20/2021 • Natalie Z

Heinz History Center was an amazing wedding ceremony venue and Cassie was especially phenomenal! I was married on 05/29/21 in the 5th floor Mueller Center and it was a great space. Our initial guest list of 160 was cut down to around 70 so the Heinz staff used pipe and drape to partition off a portion of the Mueller Center to make the space more quaint for our downsized ceremony. They also set up a ZOOM livestream for a small fee, which we needed since my in-laws could not travel to the US from India due to the ongoing COVID-19 travel ban. We had two complimentary rooms for the boys and girls to get ready in and the security at Heinz allowed us to access the rooms as early as 6am even though the museum itself wasn’t going to be open until 10am. They also had a cart ready at the entrance for my mom and MOH to use to transport everything they brought. Also, of note, we initially booked Phipps for our ceremony but they canceled even after we paid our deposit and signed our contract. In hindsight, I'm very thankful for it because Heinz was a wonderful venue, the staff was super helpful and our guests loved being able to tour the museum after our ceremony!

5/31/2021 • Christine M

We held our wedding on 5/8/21 at Heinz History Center, and couldn’t be happier! The venue is stunning and multiple guests are still commenting on how unique and beautiful the space was for a wedding. We were able to hold different portions of the night in multiple spaces throughout the museum, which made it exciting for our guests, but also easy as everything was held in one event space without worry about transportation. Working with their event coordinators, Cassie and Shelby, was a dream! They were extremely sweet, communicative, organized, and accommodating. They went out of their way to make sure all of our vendors were kept on the same page and aware of all the plans for our big day. We would definitely recommend this venue to anyone considering.

5/29/2021 • Mariah A

We held our ceremony in the Library and Archives room, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Heinz offered the “whole package” including chairs, ready room, sound system, labor, etc. for a very reasonable price, and the end result was just what we hoped for. Cassie was extremely helpful during planning as well as on the day-of, and all of our guests raved about the venue. We’d highly recommend Heinz!

10/23/2020 • Alex T

We had our wedding at the Heinz History Center and we couldn't have been any happier with how everything turned out. As you can probably imagine, getting married during a pandemic was pretty stressful - but they made everything so much easier. Leading up to the event, Cassie and Shelby were in regular communication with us around the everchanging local ordinances and were always incredibly accommodating with any requests we had. They made everything so easy on the day of our wedding too so that we were able to take a deep breath and enjoy it. Oh yeah, and the venue itself is incredible. It was so cool to celebrate our love in such a special place. We are so glad we decided to get married here!

10/11/2020 • Stephanie T

We could not have asked for a better venue for our wedding. We originally chose Heinz because of its unique personality and intrigue for our guests and because it’s one of our favorite places in Pittsburgh. But since COVID changed all of our plans and I was planning a Pittsburgh wedding while living in North Carolina, I honestly do not think our wedding could have happened without the help of Shelby and Cassie. They made everything so seamless and easy during planning and the day of. They helped us work with all of our vendors effortlessly when Allegheny county kept changing guidelines and restrictions. They made sure we did not have a care in the world on the day of and we can not be more thankful. They made our day unforgettable for us and our guests.

3/27/2020 • Bridget R

The events team at Heinz was beyond wonderful to work with. They were thoughtful, followed-up, and as a bride planning a wedding out of state were flexible with calls and emails to plan around my busy work schedule. Our day was beautiful, was organized and I’m eternally grateful to Cassie, Shelby and the Heinz team for the best day! Our guests had so much fun, and so did we!!

11/18/2019 • Kristen S

Beautiful venue! our guests loved the venue so much. The planning was okay - it was difficult to get in touch with planners at times but when we did they were easy to work with. You have to use Common Plea catering which is $$$ but delicious. Everyone will love your food and service and if they get it right! All in all we’d do it here again!

10/27/2019 • Erin A

Shelby at the history center is amazing! She is so friendly and professional, she went above and beyond for our wedding. I am an out of town bride and she helped to make everything so easy for me. She quickly responded to every email, put together our timeline, ran our rehearsal, and even fixed my hair at the reception 😂 This venue is obviously absolutely beautiful and our day was perfect. I genuinely think its the best venue in Pittsburgh, I would recommend it to anyone!

9/21/2019 • Stephanie N

Perfectly unique ceremony and reception venue!!! The actual spaces are beautiful and the staff goes ABOVE AND BEYOND throughout the whole planning process and on-site. I felt so relaxed during the big day because I knew they had it all handled! Highly recommend! Worth every penny!

9/15/2019 • Leslie H

Everything about our reception at the Heinz History Center was incredible! We had our cocktail hour on the 1st floor (Great Hall) and our reception on the 5th floor (Mueller Center). Shelby and the staff at the Heinz History Center were amazing and so helpful in all of the planning stages all the way through to the end of the reception. Shelby was so communicative in the months leading up to the wedding and just made us so at ease. We were so calm on our wedding day knowing that they had everything covered for us. We highly recommend the Heinz History Center for any wedding! Thank you so much Shelby and team!

11/19/2018 • Nicole A

We had our ceremony on 10/27/18 on the 6th Floor Library/Archives of the Heinz History Center and it was everything we could have hoped for and more. Our event coordinator, Maura, was so helpful and wonderful. She made everything both at the rehearsal and on the big day run so smoothly. Maura and her staff we so on top of everything that even without a wedding planner, I had absolutely no worries or stress about it all coming together perfectly. The actual space was so warm and interesting. The wood, brick, glass, oriental rug runner, paintings and books made for such a beautifully unique space that needed very little extra decorations. We had a pianist and used the baby grand piano for all the music during the ceremony which made for such an amazing atmosphere. Before and after the ceremony we were able to take photographs with our family and bridal party in the exhibits which will make for some really cool Pittsburgh photos! Most of our guests were from out of town and I wanted them to get a taste of Pittsburgh, and the Heinz History Center could not have been a more perfect location for our ceremony! It far exceed our expectations!!!

9/05/2018 • Ali L

Choosing the Heinz History Center as our wedding venue was one of the best decisions we made. Not only is it a gorgeous venue, full of character & rich with Pittsburgh history, but the staff are incredibly helpful, friendly and willing to work with you to achieve your vision. I cannot say enough about our wonderful coordinator, Cara, who helped us through every step of our journey. She was responsive, thorough, personable and always willing to give tips and recommendations when asked. She was hands on the entire time, especially leading up to and on the big day. We had a total guest count of 125, so we chose to have our ceremony in the library, our cocktail hour on the 4th floor loft area, and our reception in the Great Hall on the first floor (as opposed to the ballroom.) We also had a majority of our guests traveling in from out-of-town. Afterward, we received so many compliments on our choice of venue and raves about how fun and cool it was. To us, that's priceless! The only downside about this venue is that you don't have much flexibility in terms of catering. You must use Common Plea, with whom they have a contract. You are not allowed to bring in any outside food or beverages, aside from the cookie table. Despite that nuance, I wholeheartedly recommend this venue to anyone, but especially anyone who may have a large contingent of out-of-town guests. You'll definitely give them a night in Pittsburgh that they'll always remember! Ali

7/25/2018 • Kelsie M

Cara and the entire Heinz History Center staff was absolutely fantastic! They made our day perfect and we couldn't be happier with our venue choice! If you're looking for a great Pittsburgh venue with a view and a staff that will go above and beyond, then look no further!

5/22/2018 • Nina C

Absolutely AMAZING! If your'e looking for a unique venue with an elegant touch then Heinz History Center is your place! We loved that fact that our cocktail hour was on the first floor as part of an exhibit, yet our reception was in the beautiful ballroom on the 5th floor with windows overlooking the city! I can truly say our reception was breathtaking when you first entered with 500 candles lining the walls and seeing our vision become reality. Cara and her team were FANTASTIC and so accommodating from the beginning stages of planning right through the end of the night at our reception. They truly made it an easy and memorable experience that we will never forget! We would do it all over again here if we could!

5/08/2018 • Amy I

I knew from the moment I visited the History Center that this was the venue for me. Cara responded to my email from day 1 with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. From day 1 of planning to day 1 of the marriage Cara and her staff supported me and my wife. I was able to make changes, ask for favors, and leave my vision in her hands. She executed it perfectly and never said no or that it wasn’t possible. If you want a unique venue with professional staff and stunning service this is place for you.

1/30/2018 • Liz M

Can’t say enough wonderful things about this magical venue. Our day went seamlessly and that is all thanks to the staff at the history center.

11/16/2017 • Kate M

We had a gorgeous November wedding at The Heinz History Center! The space is so unique and we loved how we could utilize multiple floors/different rooms for our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception space. Maura was a DREAM to work with and her attention to detail and level of professionalism and kindness was a huge reason why we selected this as our venue. This wedding venue definitely isn't cheap..but worth every penny! Our night was unforgettable.

10/25/2017 • Michelle H

Maura and Cara are a god's send to wedding planning! I had my ceremony and reception at the museum, and planned everything long distance. Cara and Maura took care of every detail making my wedding day completely fun and stress free! I cannot compliment their expertise enough with everything down to table sizes for the reception! Worth every penny!

8/29/2017 • erin k

They were absolutely wonderful to work with! Thank you Maura and Heinz History Center staff- you are the best!

8/07/2017 • Leigh M

The Heinz History Center was a unique and unforgettable wedding venue. Cara was a pleasure to work with - being an out of town bride, it was reassuring to have someone so reliable executing our day!

7/21/2017 • Michelle B

We could not have asked for a better venue. Maura and her team took care of everything before and during the wedding. She was available to meet and to answer questions over email. As an out of town bride, she was extremely accommodating. Our guests loved the History Center and we so did we.

5/26/2017 • Michaela E

Had a wonderful, one of a kind wedding at the Heinz History Center!! The venue was incredible and loved by all of the out of town guests. Cara was great to work with and executed the evening perfectly. Everything turned out better than I could have imagined. Definitely the best place to get married in Pittsburgh!

5/26/2016 • Abby H

The staff at The Heinz History Center made our wedding day beyond unbelievable and they made the planning simple- especially because we were planning a Pittsburgh wedding while living in Boston. Our ceremony was offsite, but our cocktail hour and reception were on the 5th Floor in the Mueller Center. Despite the pouring rain on our wedding day, the room looked amazing and Maura and her staff shifted our cocktail hour into the Mueller Center foyer (since we couldn't use the patio due to the weather) and it worked beautifully. Maura was extremely accessible and was super, super fast at responding to our e-mails throughout the entire planning process. We also worked with Gretchen, another staff member at the History Center, who helped make everything even easier to plan. Common Plea, the catering company, was also a wonderful vendor- with phenomenal food! We worked with Maggie at Common Plea who coordinated everything seamlessly with Maura- making things even easier on us. I would highly recommend The Heinz History Center to anyone thinking about having an event there. My advice is to book early- we booked over a year in advance to nail down the date we needed.

11/10/2015 • Jennine W

Our wedding was in October 2015 and we had been planning it for approximately 14 months. From the beginning, the staff at Heinz History was so helpful, kind, and caring - especially Maura and Ashley, our coordinators! The venue is beautiful, but to be honest, the staff is one of the primary reasons we chose the place. The planning process was so smooth, everyone was always available and easy to reach, and the day turned out perfect. From the floor plan, to the table set up, to working with our other vendors...everything was just as we had hoped. Maura made us feel so special and at ease the day of our wedding, she took care of everything and then some, going out of her way above and beyond. I HIGHLY recommend this venue to any bride or groom - we are so happy with our decision and wish we could do it all over again!

9/28/2015 • susan B

We loved the History Center for our reception! It was amazing. We got to work with Cara for our wedding and she was the best! Patient, kind, helpful...all you need in a wedding coordinator. She made me feel reassured and the day went smoothly because of her! We had our reception on the 5th floor and it was perfect! We had the balcony and all of the vendors we picked for the wedding made the room perfect! Thanks to Cara and her team at the Heinz History Center!

8/14/2015 • Jenny C

We could not have been happier with our wedding reception at the Heinz History Center. My husband and I booked the Mueller Room (Fifth Floor) because of its size, large open space, ton of natural light, and outdoor balcony. However, the icing on the cake was working with Cara and Maura as well as their team. Cara and Maura were very accommodating leading up to the wedding, answering any e-mails or phone calls, even when they were not on duty. When we dropped everything off the day before the wedding, both Cara and Maura were there and couldn't be more relaxed and excited for us, which, in turn, made us extremely relaxed and assured that all of our plans were in good hands. The wedding day logistics were great; we were blown away at how the HHC team transformed a blank canvas into a reception that was better than anything we had in our heads. We keep hearing from attendees at how beautiful the space was and how smoothly everything was run. We could not have done that without Cara and Maura! My husband and I would highly recommend the History Center for any formal event.

1/17/2015 • Christie S

Cara and her team made us feel extremely comfortable during the whole planning of our wedding. She made everything so easy for us. We absolutely loved our wedding there and would highly recommend them!

8/25/2014 • Randi M

We could not have been happier with the Heinz History Center as our wedding venue!! Because we wanted the true Pittsburgh feel for our many out-of-town guests when selecting a venue for both our ceremony and reception, the Heinz History Center was a perfect fit! We utilized much of the space in the venue for our event with the ceremony and cocktail both on the first floor (our guests thought it was such a unique space and you can transform it to meet your ceremony needs) and our wedding in the Mueller Center. We also took pictures in the sports museum with all of the Pittsburgh fans waving their terrible towels;-) Because the Mueller center is a blank slate (with a beautiful Pittsburgh view), we were able to transform the space into the wedding of our dreams! The preferred Caterer, Common Plea, was amazing!! They were wonderful to work with (a true partnership) and we continue to hear feedback about how great the food was. Both Martin & Denise are fantastic!! Cara was excellent to work with! She was extremely responsive and committed to making our wedding exactly what we wanted. I appreciate working with her and would highly recommend partnering with her early on (and getting a commitment that she would be the person you work with and will be available the evening of your event). We couldn't be happier that we chose HHC for our wedding! Having such a unique venue, great location, hotel directly across the street, and excellent food created a beautiful evening that we AND our guests will never forget!

5/30/2013 • Nicci I

The History Center was our first and only choice. The staff at both the History Center and Common Plea were amazing. They were incredibly helpful, patient, and thorough when answering my many questions throughout the process. Our wedding reception was perfect, and – best of all – they are so organized that we had nothing to worry about all night (except having fun)! All our guests enjoyed the unique venue as well!!

2/24/2013 • Melinda W

My experience at the Heinz History Center for my reception was truly amazing. The event staff were always very helpful and dedicated to my event and always available to answer any questions. I planned the wedding from out of town and the even staff at the History Center was very accommodating to meet with, even coming in on weekends and early mornings to make time for us. They made the reception run so smoothly and I had nothing to worry about the entire night.

10/19/2012 • Taylor C

We fell in love with the Heinz History Center as a venue for our wedding right away and the price didn't seem so bad because we were supporting the museum as well as getting a really unique space. We used the Great Hall for both our ceremony and reception and the 4th floor gallery for cocktail hour. All of our meetings leading up to the day were great and we felt really comfortable. The required caterer, Common Plea, however, is ridiculously overpriced and difficult to deal with. We chose to take an exemption and go with an outside vendor because we wanted a fully vegetarian menu. This proved to be much more of a problem than we were lead to believe. The ceremony and reception were set up beautifully (though the lights pointing at the altar were sun-bright and extremely hot) and our guests were treated very well. At the end of the night, however, the event planner at Heinz pretty much flipped out on my parents about a problem with the caterer and my dad ended up cleaning up most of the hall by himself once everyone had left. It's too bad because the History Center itself is lovely and the event crew chief, Eric Picard, was so nice, but I would caution anyone who was considering this venue. Especially if you're thinking of doing something different than what they're used to. B-

6/26/2012 • Adrienne I

The Heinz History Center was our first choice for reception venue, and we never regretted it. Maura (the events director) was on top of everything and we didn't have to worry about a single detail. Highly recommended!

9/11/2011 • Molly A

This was a gorgeous venue! Mara, the event planner at the site, was incredibly helpful. I'd highly recommend it

8/24/2011 • stacey s

The coordinator Lori was great to work with, they followed ALL of my instructions to the T. Everything was set up just the way I wanted it.It was beautiful!My guests loved the unique location, touring the museum before cocktail hour began was something that everyone loved.

7/23/2011 • Erica L

The History Center could not be any better. I loved it soo much and Maura the coordinate did everything I asked and way more. Everything was easy and all I had to do was drop my items off the day before and they put it all together for me! I would recommend the history center to anyone!