October 2004 Article                      

Plan a Party with the Presidents

In Boston...

The dramatic I.M. Pei-designed John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston hosts scores of meetings and dinners every year, but none like the presidential dinner created by The Best of Boston Ltd. Ellen Burnett, president, calls it one of the highlights of her career in event management. 

Follow our founding fathers to Philadelphia.

George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Paul Revere -- and the country’s first bank robbers, are among those who have done business in Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia since its was built in 1770. The First Continental Congress met there in 1774. Today, you can have a reception for 125 or a sit-down dinner for 80 within its historic walls. The British occupied the building for a while and the French plotted with the colonies against the British there. An incredible past. An elegant present.

There’s still time to vote… for George Washington if you like, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. New, yet full of history, the center is highly recommended by Mike Lyons, president of GEP Philadelphia. Among its interactive exhibits are a place where you can vote for your favorite president, and another where you can take the Presidential Oath of Office. Looking for something older? How about a copy of the original newspaper in which Ben Franklin published the entire new U.S. Constitution.

The modern building features a 40 foot glass wall overlooking Independence Hall and offers many event areas with capacities up to 600 for a seated dinner or 2,500 for a reception. A rooftop terrace, overlooking the city’s historic center, can accommodate 200 for dinner or 400 for a stand-up affair. “The building is a blank canvas, ” Mike says “ and so you can create a whole new world inside to suit your needs.” He described an event coming up with the business theme “Surviving the Elements” where four gathering spaces will be used to represent Fire, Earth, Water, and Air, each with its own décor, entertainment and feel. Each setting will feature a different menu in keeping with the theme of that area. For example, Mexican food will be served in the Fire section.

Samuel Powel House. Built in 1765, this home of Philadelphia’s mayor was host to George and Martha Washington’s 20th wedding anniversary party, though the records don’t show whether Martha actually attended. Here you can have dinner for 50 or a reception for 70 while you view its period pieces, a silhouette of George done by Sam, and a lock of the first President’s hair. 

Incidentally, Mike says he and his creative team like to come up with ideas that go against the obvious. Instead of creating an historical evening in a colonial home, he suggests doing something with a different spin such as a murder mystery or other counter programming for an unexpected twist.

When in Washington…

Want an inaugural ball, a presidential dinner, or a the chance to dine in a President’s home? They are all possible in our Nation’s Capital, election-year or not. 

For the inaugural ball, Andrew Osborne, CMP, director of sales of GEP-Washington, nominates the gorgeous beaux-arts Union Station. Jimmy Carter and the first George Bush both had inaugural parties there. Andrew suggests guests enter from the west side along a red carpet with a fife and drum corps welcoming them in. Inside the grand 1903 building with gilt-edged vaulted ceilings, you can decorate with flags of the states or flags of the world that indicate the location of a company’s offices or an organization’s membership, Andrew proposes. 

A variety of spaces are available at Union Station that can accommodate as many as 2,200 for a sit-down dinner of 3,500 for a reception. If you can forgo the 96 foot ceiling in the main hall, lovely areas are available for 200 and 500 for dinner. Guests could arrive by train or by Metro if their limousines were otherwise occupied.

The National Building Museum, an Italian Renaissance masterpiece, has been the site of inaugural balls since Grover Cleveland’s in 1885. Here Andrew suggests a Presidential style state dinner that divides the massive great hall (316 feet by 116 feet by 159 feet high) into three sections.

Guests would first enter a reception area for cocktails, screened from the center dining space by sheer drapes. Dinner itself would feature china, crystal, and cutlery in patterns that mimic official White House service. Following the meal, guest would move to yet a third area for an after dinner Red Hot Nite Club with dancing, in Andrew’s three-tiered evening plan. 

Parties at Presidential homes can range from dinner for 40 at the Woodrow Wilson House to an elegant tented affair on the grounds of Mt. Vernon for up to 600. Wilson moved to the Georgian Revival House in downtown DC in 1921. Memorabilia of his life surround guests as they enjoy a meal in the same dining room where the former president and his wife, Edith, entertained renowned statesmen. Receptions for 150 can be held inside and a tent for 125 can be placed in the garden.

When at Mt. Vernon, you can dine like George did on pewter plates savoring wild game, hens and goose. You can also enjoy the first President’s spectacular view down a grassy slope to the Potomac River. Fife and drum corps, horse and carriage rides and fireworks can further liven up the evening, in an authentic way. 

For more on any of these venues, please contact your GEP representative or e-mail newsletter@theeventinsider.com.

And, don’t forget to vote.