The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum
About This Vendor
Historic Charm for a Unique Wedding
The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum is an elegant wedding venue in Cincinnati, OH. Steeped in history, this charming property offers top-quality service in a luxurious setting. Whether you're hosting an intimate gathering or something more elaborate, the attentive and experienced staff will be there to warmly welcome you. Constructed in 1906, the Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum originally functioned as a public library before being sold for private use in the late 1950s. Spanning over 3,400 square feet, this event space encompasses two main rooms and a spacious entrance hall. Period features such as elevated ceilings, ornamented wooden floors, and brass-finished chandeliers make up the opulent interior. With a seating capacity of 200 guests, this venue is ideal for celebrations on a medium scale. Guests can enjoy views of the exquisite outdoor grounds through the antique curved windows while they dine. For intimate gatherings, the West and East Rooms offer private and exclusive spaces. You can also use the beautiful outdoor gardens to take photographs or hold your cocktail reception. An extensive range of services is available at the Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum. The efficient team offers event coordination to ensure your wedding day runs smoothly and according to plan. They can set everything up for you, providing a stunning space for your reception. For your wedding banquet, you can dine on delicious cuisine made by the in-house catering team. With over 30 years of experience, these expert chefs strive to prepare flavorful meals that you and your guests will savor. Various menu options are available, allowing you to pick tasty dishes to suit your palate. The venue also provides on-site parking, WiFi, and wheelchair-accessible facilities.
Amenities + Details
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
Civil Union, Commitment Ceremony, Elopement, Interfaith Ceremony, Non-Religious Ceremony, Religious Ceremony, Second Wedding , Vow Renewal Ceremony
Guest Capacity
Up to 250
Settings
Ballroom, Garden, Historic Venue, Library, Museum, Trees
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks, Cakes & Desserts, Food & Catering, Planning, Rentals & Equipment, Tents, Service Staff
Pricing for The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum
Browse The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum's pricing PDF for sample services and estimates.
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The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum Reviews
4.8 out of 5.0
18 reviews
5 Star
83%
4 Star
11%
3 Star
6%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Great and beautiful venue for our ~100 guests. Would probably not be a great space for more than that just because of space constraints. I got nervous we had too many but was reassured it wouldn’t be a problem and while about a dozen of our gue...
sts didn’t mind eating in the entrance room apart from the great room, I felt a bit bad about it. The exclusive catering service runs everything and there were several miscommunications along the way on both ends, but that’s to be expected anywhere. Everyone said how “cool” it was for a venue and I agreed! The cost was $2400 for the space and about ~10k for catering service in Aug 2022
Beautiful venue! If you have your wedding here, most of your contact will be through Jeff Thomas Catering.
Booking the Carnegie for my wedding with Jeff Thomas catering was the best decision ever!! Everything was such a breeze, they were so kind and laid back, and made everything I wanted happen plus more! Can not recommend this venue and team enou...
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Any questions?
Planning a wedding in 2020 wasn't easy but thank goodness for The Carnegie. It's a hidden gem in Cincinnati. We had so many changes take place in the months leading up to our wedding, and everyone who we worked with at the venue rolled with the...
punches right along with us and helped us through many accommodations. The setting was PERFECT for us, and the treasure trove of decor that we could access, free of charge, tied everything together so nicely. Our florist was thrilled with the selection of pieces she could use. Loved the bridal suite downstairs, which very comfortably accommodated my 9 bridesmaids, 1 hair stylist, 1 makeup artist, and a few others. The photos we have inside the venue and outside are absolutely beautiful. Finally, our caterer, Jeff Thomas, who is the exclusive caterer at The Carnegie, was a god-send. He brought so many great ideas about meals and set-up when we first reserved the space and then worked closely with us when we needed to reimagine our day to accommodate pandemic protocols. We feel so lucky that we chose this venue -- I couldn't have imagined a better space.
We loved having our wedding at the Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum! The booking process was easy and the venue was absolutely perfect for our early November wedding of 140 guests. Jeff Thomas and his team (who are the preferred caterers, b...
ut really run the place too) were phenomenal and guided us through the process. Tiffany is the day-to-day contact and was very friendly and prompt at answering all my questions! The venue was beautiful for taking photos inside and outside. I was a little concerned because we had our ceremony here too and the team had to do a room flip to get ready for dinner, but it was done quickly and beautifully.
I highly recommend checking out the Carnegie during an open house. The space is beautiful and charming and the Jeff Thomas Catering team is fantastic to work with. We didn't have much reference for planning a wedding, and they guided us throug...
h the whole process. We wanted things a little different, and they were really excited to help us with our idea for a giant board game party reception.
I absolutely loved having my wedding here at The Carnegie! Everything was so perfect I couldn't have asked for anything more. The people were great and easy to work with. I was able to email them all kinds of questions and they answered very qu...
ickly. They made this day every smooth.
The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum was an absolute dream for our wedding. We loved working with Jeff Thomas and had THE BEST food for our wedding from Jeff Thomas Catering. Jeff Thomas was friendly, professional, accommodating, and insigh...
tful when it came to helping plan out our wedding. Our Day-of-Coordinator, Liberty, was great. She was thoughtful and professional and helped make the wedding day run as smooth as possible! The only reason I knocked off (ideally a half star but The Knot will only do full stars) a star is because of the Wedding Coordinator. I felt that she could have been more helpful in the process. She was great when it came to answering my phone calls and emails and taking payments, but specific details that were discussed way in advance she somehow missed. This made is so that three days before the wedding she was contacting me to confirm what I thought was already set in stone. That made for some stress on my part which wasn't ideal. Otherwise, it was an absolutely fantastic experience and for such a great and affordable price you get a beautiful venue and the best catering around. I highly recommend!
This place was the perfect venue for our wedding! It was exquisite lit up at night and the staff went above and beyond to make everything perfect. Jeff Thomas Catering does the food and it is beyond outstanding! Every guest commented it was the...
best meal they have ever had at a wedding. Before the wedding my cake topper broke and a member of the staff glued it back together for me. I highly recommend this venue! You won’t be disappointed!
I could not be happier with choosing to have my wedding reception at the Carnegie Center. The venue is beautiful and has a spacious bridal suite. The Carnegie Center partners with Jeff Thomas Catering and Jeff Thomas's team is top notch.
My husband and I really love this venue. It's beautiful and has it's own charm without us having to do anything to the space. We added our touch through the centerpieces and incorporated our colors through the linens. Jeff and Tiffany at Jeff T...
homas Catering were wonderful to work with and they coordinated well with our wedding planner. The food was delicious and everything went off without a hitch. We're so grateful that we picked the Carnegie!
This venue is the most beautiful place ever. It ended up being the only venue that my husband and I toured (after doing lots of online research). The price is unbelievably inexpensive compared to others nearby and we got all day access at no ex...
tra cost! There is a lovely bridal suit in the basement and tons of decorations we were offered to use for our reception at no extra cost. Everything was so easy as we navigated through the booking process. We received so many compliments on the venue and how timeless it is while also holding so much history. I am so happy that we were able to book it for our wedding and I wish I could go there. I highly recommend this venue to other soon to be newly weds.
Christine C. my son and his bride had their wedding celebration at The Carnegie Center. It was absolutely beautiful!. the setting in the main area where the dinner and dancing took place, was so romantic and simply a beautiful room with large...
windows and beautiful table settings, decorations, and chandeliers. the staff and party planner were so helpful and attentive, loved them! the food was delicious and all done so beautifully! I would highly recommend this venue for your wedding!!
Our wedding was everything I hoped it would be, and it had a lot to do with Jeff Thomas Catering and the Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum. We loved working with Jeff, who is a top-notch wedding planner and caterer. He knew the questions I h...
ad (and the answers) before I had to ask. We had a plated dinner for our guests, and the food was incredible. (Our DJ, who's done over a hundred weddings, said the food was in the top 5 of weddings he's been to!). The event space was perfect for our 95 guests, we ended up doing both our ceremony and reception in the main hall and it was perfection. If you have a larger guest count it might be a tight squeeze, but we could have easily fit a few more tables to accommodate 120-130 people. We had a "vintage/Hollywood romance" kind of theme and the art deco architecture helped to set that tone. The bridal suite in the basement got finished in March and the mothers and bridal party all fit comfortably in the gorgeous new space. Our hairdresser came to the venue and had lots of lighting and a huge mirror to make everyone beautiful (we brought a power strip and extension cord for all her tools). Overall a wonderful time working with Jeff Thomas and the Carnegie, ladies CHECK THIS PLACE OUT! A hidden gem in Cincinnati weddings.
Not only is this venue beautiful, but having Jeff Thomas as the caterer gives you a built in wedding planner. I loved every minute of my wedding and this was the perfect setting. I didn't want a typical reception hall and the Carnegie Center ...
was the perfect choice with it's mix of history and amazing architecture. I recommend this venue to everyone!
Such a beautiful venue and quite the bargain for the space! We had our wedding here in August with 195 guests. We really pushed the capacity to its limits but it was great and our guests were still comfortable. We worked with Jeff Thomas who is...
now the Carnegie Center's exclusive caterer. He and his team were wonderful!! He took care of figuring out table arrangements, all of the rentals(tables, chairs, linens), and provided the waitstaff and bar tenders who were fabulous. The food was beyond delicious, we had many guests comment that it was the best wedding food they have ever had. We didn't need to worry about a thing though out the whole process. I would recommend this venue to anyone in the Cincinnati area. It was a beautiful backdrop for a romantic and unforgettable night.
Excellent price! Such a beautiful building and lovely space for a wedding. It was such a bargain, and so cool to be married in a former library. It was a book-themed wedding, of course! The basement (where the bride gets ready) is quite a bit o...
f a mess, though. That definitely needs to change. If the basement was tidied and had a nice space for the bride to wait, this venue would get 5 stars.
We had our wedding ceremony and reception at the Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum. We chose this space because it is BEAUTIFUL, historical, we were able to bring in our own caterer AND alcohol (a HUGE selling point since we were able to be ...
a little more cost effective than using vendors from a preffered-caterer list as available at most other venues), and having the ceremony and reception at one location seemed most convenient for our guests (about 115). It is also very price efficient.
The actual wedding night was gorgeous and we had so many compliments.
However planning the wedding with the Event Coordinator COULD HAVE BEEN A MORE PLEASANT EXPERIENCE. Do not assume that just because you are guarunteed one hour in the venue before the night of the wedding that it'll be "rehearsal" time. We were told we could not hold our actual rehearsal at The Carnegie unless we wanted to do it at 10 AM on a Friday as they had another event that night. I understand that its a business and they can rent out their space as necessary, but they should make it more clear that rehearsal time is not included in the package. Also, the Event Coordinator was HARDLY accommodating. Her tone was always one of inconvenience and shortness. She was harsh about the rehearsal time and not apologetic about the inconvenience. My mother was not able to find some items the next day, so when she called to ask if items were left, the Event Coordinator's response was, "well, it's not really my job to look for things left behind..." No, but it is just a nice thing to do if asked by your customer.
That being said, our staff person for the night was EXTREMELY helpful and polite.
So looking back, it was a beautiful wedding and I wouldn't change a thing, I just wish we would have been treated a little bit more like a customer and not an ignorant inconvenience. It would have been a 5/5 if not for the service of the Event Coordinator.
Contact Info for The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum
3738 Eastern Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
Meet the Team
Tiffany Combs
Coordinator
Growing up, I continuously seemed to find a job within the food industry, all the way from my very first job in high school up until now. When it comes to weddings specifically, I grew up getting just as excited in attending them as I would have if they were my own. I think it is such a special day to celebrate and I absolutely love the fact that I am able to help somebody in making that special day perfect! The people I work with are definitely what I like most about my job.
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The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum