Facilities 2021 - Beacon Hill Friends House

Gather at our unique, historic, community space in downtown Boston

Make Beacon Hill Friends House the site of your next gathering!

Two blocks from the State House and convenient to all transit lines, our space is perfect for group meetings, theatre and choir practice groups, lectures and workshops, and more.

We typically rent our space between 9 AM and 10:30 PM Monday through Saturday, and Sunday between 3 PM and 10 PM (subject to availability). Check out our four rentable spaces below. Find accessibility information here.

We offer significantly discounted rates (sometimes free) for nonprofit or community groups that are using our space for work that aligns with our values and mission.

Accessibility

Beacon Hill Friends House is working on making our historic space accessible to everyone. Our primary entrance is up a flight of stairs and we have a sidewalk level entrance to our basement level that can accommodate small and standard size wheelchairs (the turning radius is too small for large motorized chairs). We also have a small, single-occupancy 100-year-old elevator (about 3 ft deep and 2.5 feet wide) that can access all floors.

On the basement level, we have a single-user, all-gender bathroom with wall-mounted handrails and ample space for chairs and/or aides. We are not a scent-free space but tend to be low-scent.

Our spaces

Photo of the meeting room set up with benches

A concert in the Meeting Room

You can use the meeting room for ... meetings!

You can use the meeting room for ... lectures!

nova george gives the 2023 Ernest and Esther Weed Memorial Lecture

You can use the meeting room for ... organizing!

Or for large gatherings!

The Meeting Room

The Meeting Room is our primary event space — large, light-filled, and historically detailed, this space is useful for everything from lectures to weddings to large group meetings.

It has 12 benches that are easily moved to accommodate different needs for the space. Most commonly, the benches are arranged in square format for worship, or in auditorium style for concerts. A number of benches can be moved out of the room to create an open floor plan. There are also 10 cushioned folding chairs that may be used for seating.

The balcony that overlooks this room is used for office and storage space and is generally not available as part of the rental.

The permitted capacity for the Meeting Room is 70 people (although it has seating capacity for 55 more comfortably).

There is a side door off of the Meeting Room that requires no stairs and is accessible to most wheelchair-users.

Rates

Regular rate $275/hr

We provide a 20% discount to most rentals longer than 4 hours. For large events such as weddings, galas, mixers, etc., please inquire with us directly at booking@bhfh.org.
Non-profit rate $50-$275/hr (sliding scale)*

We are able to offer nonprofits and charitable organizations a sliding scale rate for use of our space.

*If you are a community organization and these prices are out of your budget, please get in touch to ask about reduced rates. We love our space to be used by and useful to the community, and to be able to support other organizations with our space.

The Parlor

The Music Room and Parlor are two charming adjoining rooms connected with an open arch and featuring two tall windows on each side.

There is capacity to seat approximately 20 people in either room. Seating is a mixture of armchairs, wooden chairs, and folding chairs. The archway between the rooms gives a feeling of continuity between the rooms. There is a Steinway grand piano in the Music room.

This room is on our first floor, and is accessible only via stairs, or by a small elevator which cannot accommodate many mobility devices.

Regular rate $180/hr

We provide a 20% discount to most rentals longer than 4 hours. For large events such as weddings, galas, mixers, etc., please inquire with us directly at booking@bhfh.org.
Non-profit rate $35-$180/hr (sliding scale)*

We are able to offer nonprofits and charitable organizations a sliding scale rate for use of our space.

*If you are a community organization and these prices are out of your budget, please get in touch to ask about reduced rates. We love our space to be used by and useful to the community, and to be able to support other organizations with our space.

The St. Francis Courtyard

The St. Francis Courtyard is our public outside space — with tables, string lights and lanterns, an outdoor couch, and a grill. We call this the “St. Francis” courtyard because a statue of St. Francis (from the owners of the house prior to it becoming a nonprofit) sits at the helm. Most commonly used as an extension of Meeting Room rentals, this courtyard features lush greenery, including a magnolia tree that blooms pink flowers in late March/early April, and a rhododendron tree that blooms purple flowers in June. The courtyard also features Virginia Creeper vines, which turn shades of red and orange in the fall.

Our courtyard is a great place to host small outdoor gatherings like a potluck or a party, meetings that don’t require the privacy of indoor spaces, or photo shoots.

Regular rate $150/hr

We provide a 20% discount to most rentals longer than 4 hours. For large events such as weddings, galas, mixers, etc., please inquire with us directly at booking@bhfh.org.
Non-profit rate $35-$150/hr (sliding scale)*

We are able to offer nonprofits and charitable organizations a sliding scale rate for use of our space.

*If you are a community organization and these prices are out of your budget, please get in touch to ask about reduced rates. We love our space to be used by and useful to the community, and to be able to support other organizations with our space.