International Museum of Surgical Science

Spectacular Events Surrounded by History

Holds ceremonies and receptions

4.6

Praised by couples for:

Amenities

Helpful staff

Unique aesthetic style

The venue is beautiful! The staff was attentive, professional, EXPERIENCED and communicated very well through out the process. As a wedding coordinator, you couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Even through a staff transition, nothing fell through cracks. Thanks Michelle, Abi, and Benny!

Jazmin J.

5.0

We had a great experience booking and hosting our wedding at the IMSS. Lindsay in particular was super easy to work with and answered all questions promptly. Our guests are still talking about how unique the space is, and the exhibits provided entertainment during the down times. We also liked that there were different rooms and levels for guests to explore while still feeling intimate. The dance floor in the Hall of Immortals was also super fun. We'd recommend this venue to anyone looking for an intimate, good time!

Vicki P.

5.0

Michelle Rinard

MUSEUM DIRECTOR

Located in Chicago, IL, the International Museum of Surgical Science is a museum venue that hosts weddings and special events. This property offers stunning waterfront views over Lake Michigan, set off by the remarkable artwork that lines its walls. With stunning indoor and outdoor event spaces available, this venue is a spectacular choice for newlyweds-to-be celebrating their special day. Originally created to be a Hall of Fame to honor the International College of Surgeons, the building was transformed into a museum during the 1950s. An incredible array of artwork was donated, and a mansion next door was then acquired to house and display the artifacts to full effect. The original style and architecture of the properties still stand today. The museum offers marble floors and original fireplaces, while the sculptures and artwork provide a dramatic backdrop to ceremonies and receptions. A library filled with over 1,000 rare books provides a one-of-a-kind space for photos as well as an intimate setting for private dinners. This venue can hold up to 100 guests for a banquet-style event, and 200 guests for a cocktail reception. The International Museum of Surgical Science caters to all ceremony types, including religious and non-religious events. The dedicated team offers the assistance of two staff members for the duration of the celebration. They will help with the coordination of vendors, as well as guiding and informing the guests about the surrounding artworks. The museum staff will also provide a list of reliable vendors with whom they have worked previously to create exceptional events with exquisite results. As the venue does not have the means to offer food, this includes a comprehensive list of catering options, along with entertainment companies and local accommodations. The venue can provide rented items such as tables and banquet chairs, as well as articles such as microphones for speeches and a projector screen.

72+ years in business

Speaks English

Small team (2-10 members)

Amenities + details

Amenities

Ceremony Area

Covered Outdoors Space

Dressing Room

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

Liability Insurance

On-Site Accommodations

Outdoor Event Space

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Ceremony Types

Civil Union

Commitment Ceremony

Elopement

Interfaith Ceremony

Non-Religious Ceremony

Religious Ceremony

Second Wedding

Vow Renewal Ceremony

Settings

Beach

Waterfront

Estate

Historic Venue

Library

Museum

Venue Service Offerings

Service Staff

Any questions?

Meet the team

Michelle Rinard

Museum Director

Hello! Thanks for visiting the International Museum of Surgical Science event page. I am happy to assist with any of your event venue needs! I facilitate all of the events at the Museum and assist with day-of venue and vendor coordination. Every celebration is unique, and I love seeing all different types of ceremonies, receptions, and dinners come to life! Michelle

4.6

out of 5.0

11 reviews

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Jazmin J

6/01/2026

The venue is beautiful! The staff was attentive, professional, EXPERIENCED and communicated very well through out the process. As a wedding coordinator, you couldn’t have asked for...

a better experience. Even through a staff transition, nothing fell through cracks. Thanks Michelle, Abi, and Benny!

Vicki P

6/17/2022

We had a great experience booking and hosting our wedding at the IMSS. Lindsay in particular was super easy to work with and answered all questions promptly. Our guests are still t...

alking about how unique the space is, and the exhibits provided entertainment during the down times. We also liked that there were different rooms and levels for guests to explore while still feeling intimate. The dance floor in the Hall of Immortals was also super fun. We'd recommend this venue to anyone looking for an intimate, good time!

Any questions?

Sonia P

3/08/2020

IMSS is a super unique space and absolutely beautiful! The staff are excellent to work with and we are so glad that we chose this as our venue.

Brittany C

10/17/2019

We had both our ceremony and reception at IMSS and were so glad we did! Both Michelle and Miranda were great to work with throughout the planning process and up through the event i...

tself. The venue is so unique, with gorgeous architectural details, and our guests really enjoyed being able to explore the museum during the evening as well - I had so many people ask me how I found such an amazing location. When compared to the prices of other Chicago area museums (Field, Adler, Art Institute), IMSS is a steal, and the location right on Lake Michigan makes it even better. I cannot recommend IMSS highly enough!

Susan S

6/19/2019

We had our wedding at the Museum of Surgical Science and it was amazing! We had visited the museum the previous year and really loved the experience. When we were thinking of place...

s to have our wedding, this place immediately came to mind. The location is great, the mansion is absolutely gorgeous, and all the exhibits were open the entire time for our guests to enjoy. SO many of our guests said how much they LOVED the unique venue and enjoyed perusing the exhibits during the cocktail hour and after dinner. A huge bonus is that the mansion is already gorgeous, and the rooms we used for dining and cocktails have many beautiful statues and paintings, so we didn't get a florist and spent very little on decorations, and everyone still raved about how beautiful it was! Plus, the price of renting the venue itself is very low, so we were able to save a lot of money that way! We also asked to put a few things out from the gift shop for our guests to take as they wished, and everyone seemed to really like that! We had a few extra gifts left over and paid only for the ones that were taken, which was great! We worked with Michelle throughout the planning process and it was an absolute pleasure! She was very communicative with us and with our vendors and helped make sure everything ran smoothly and things got taken care of quickly, even if some of them were kind of last-minute on our end. I would absolutely have another event here if given the chance!

Regina G

3/26/2018

We had our reception at the International Museum of Surgical Science on October 13th 2017. The entire process of planning our wedding was made super easy in the months leading up t...

o our wedding. I worked with Justina and Michelle, who were a great help in getting information and setting up a time for me to do a walk through of the museum. Justina gave me the tour of the venue, providing information on past weddings and events that helped me to envision what our reception would be like. Anytime I had questions after our initial consultation, she gave me thorough answers. A little bit before our wedding, Justina no longer worked at the museum and Michelle took over her position. Michelle reached out to me personally to introduce herself. Justina communicated all of my information to Michelle prior to her departure, so I never felt like we were starting over again with our planning. The day of the wedding, everything went off without a hitch. We got rave reviews from our guests about the museum – they loved the décor and architecture. Everyone had so much fun looking at all the exhibits. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and we would definitely recommend the International Museum of Surgical Science for any event!

Becky F

3/21/2018

My husband and I held our wedding reception here back in October. Michelle went above and beyond to make our big day feel special. The building is absolutely gorgeous and unique. O...

ur guests loved roaming the exhibits, and it made our wedding stand apart from all others.

Natalie R

11/07/2016

Tried booked this Venue. The space itself is very unique and beautiful. I really thought our wedding would be here. One person via email told me I had to use their preferred cateri...

ng, one suggested if I did it would be one free hour. One of their vendors wasn't emailing me back (after 16 days mid proposal, you realize you could never book them for your WEDDING!), one was outrageously expensive($150/ person for cocktails and appetizers!) and the others didn't have websites that were appealing in the slightest. Started looking elsewhere for catering and one caterer told me they worked there last year in 2015. They were not on the IMSS list. Then the museum told me they don't allow other vendors in, when I questioned it, they didn't bother to respond in over 2 weeks. I truly felt like they take us seriously because we couldn't book right away, but the problem was with their own preferred vendors. Sadly, as much as I had seen the whole vision when we visited, I don't feel comfortable booking them anymore. The search is back on!

Susan G

11/04/2016

We loved hosting our wedding at the Surgical Science Museum! The ambience in the space in the evening is magical and felt very welcoming. Our guests loved having access to the enti...

re museum to explore throughout the evening--so many people commented that it was one of the most unique wedding locations they had ever been to!

Y S

10/27/2016

We had our rehearsal dinner there, followed by Drake Hotel for our wedding. We wished we could have gotten married at the museum instead but unfortunately it was not big enough. In...

the end everything worked out. The museum was great in letting us host a large rehearsal dinner: hotel staff were very friendly and helpful during the event from start to finish and even after the event ended without interrupting the event. We received so many compliments from our guests. The museum is almost like a historical house/small mansion: it is absolutely beautiful and elegant beyond words. Imagine the place with interesting things as displays like tools from a hundred years ago, paintings, old books in book shelves next to fireplace, sculptures, and marble staircase as soon as you enter the museum. My husband and I are both in the medical fields: we loved everything in the museum. We are certain you do not need to be in medical field to enjoy the museum as many kids and guests were wowed by the museum architecture itself and fun things to look at. Plus the museum is on the inner Lake Shore drive overlooking the lake through these beautiful historical beautiful windows. We had a great experience there. We highly recommend the place for holding any memorable event.

Stuart S

4/13/2016

The space is spectacular. Where else are you going to get married downtown Chicago in a 19th century mansion on lake Michigan for as little as they charge? Truely a hidden gem. Plu...

s the historic artifacts made it all the more memorable!

Service area & Contact info

1524 N Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL

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(847) 542-0079

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International Museum of Surgical Science

Michelle Rinard

Museum Director

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International Museum of Surgical Science

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