Ambrose Hall houses the administrative offices for Kemper Center, other rental offices and restored rooms for meetings, receptions and other events. The former dining hall, with a panoramic view of Lake Michigan, and the parlor, with its graceful fireplace are favored places for small wedding receptions, parties and meetings. Ambrose Hall has spacious kitchen facilities on the lower level, and accommodates up to 50 people seated for dinner, and more for classroom style business meetings or cocktail party settings.

Supported Layouts and Capacities

Banquet - 10 per
Capacity: 50 People

Amenities

Features

The Faulkner building is used primarily for nonprofit organizations and clubs and by families for private parties, and is home to Kids’ Space, the children’s academic year art school and Summer Art Camp. It is also used as an ancillary facility for outdoor events taking place on the adjacent Northeast Grounds.

Every year many couples exchange their wedding vows before the altar where Kemper Hall students and the Sisters of St. Mary worshiped daily. The small side chapel, once known as the “Meditation Chapel,” was recently redecorated and serves as the bride’s dressing room. The groom’s dressing room now occupies the space that was the sacristy. The atmosphere and wonderful acoustics in the Chapel continually attract musical groups and audiences alike, and many concerts are performed here.

Founder’s Hall, the former Kemper Hall Dining Room, located on the first floor of the Conference Center, seats up to 110 for a luncheon or dinner and more in meeting or party configurations. Used mainly for business meetings, parties and receptions, Founder’s Hall is decorated in soft greens and muted red. The paintings gracing the walls are available for sale through the Anderson Arts Center. Full audio-visual and wireless internet services are available for business meetings, and the facility includes a dance floor for parties and receptions. The Study Hall seats up to 80 for dinner and is located on the second floor of the Conference Center. It features the same state-of-the-art meeting facilities of Founders Hall and is decorated in similar fashion. Adjacent to it is the Chemistry Lab, which has retained its old styling with the former lab work table now being used as a service bar. A row of Kemper Hall school desks is still attached to the lab work table. Also on the second floor are several former classrooms, including The Library, which can be used for meeting break-out rooms and for smaller gatherings, each seating up to 25. Martha and Marion’s Kitchen, Kemper Center’s large full service catering facility, is also located on the first floor of the Conference Center. The kitchen is equipped to serve up to 400 guests for multiple events across the Kemper Campus. The third and fourth floors of the Conference Center, which were formerly dormitory housing for the Kemper Hall students, is currently in a “white box” state and is available for development into offices, classrooms, studios, and other appropriate uses. The control room for the Griffin Observatory is also located on the fourth floor of the conference center.

Today the Simmons Auditorium, which can seat up to 160 people, is the scene of wedding receptions, dances, parties, concerts and fairs.

The Anderson Arts Center South Lawn is the largest of the outdoor venues at Kemper Center. While being of size to host a large tented event, it also offers tranquil private areas and gardens with a large patio facing the lake. Full catering and bar services are available, as well as outdoor electrical service. The Arboretum is located between the main Kemper Center buildings and Third Avenue. Following in the tradition of Kemper Hall classes that planted trees in honor of their graduation, Kemper Center developed plans in 1988 for an arboretum containing rare and unusual trees. Over 70 additional trees have been planted since that time. Though most are reliable winter-hearty trees, they are not commonly seen in the Midwest. Some have granite markers that memorialize departed family members and friends. The Hockey Field was originally used by the Kemper Hall physical education classes for outdoor activites and is located to the south of the Simmons Auditorium, formerly the Gymnasium. It was named for the many field hockey games played there by the students at Kemper Hall. Today, neighborhood pick-up soccer games occur often on the Hockey Field in addition to the organized soccer teams that play on the field on a regular basis. The Northeast Grounds are located to the north of the Kady B. Faulkner Building and east of Ambrose Hall. The beautiful views of Lake Michigan as well as the proximity to the facilities offered in the Faulkner Building make this area a favorite for large picnics and outdoor weddings.