Welcome to Mansion Hill Sanctuary

A former historic church converted to gorgeous multi-purpose event space. Host a non-denominational wedding ceremony, reception or party amidst the dazzling stained glass windows. Nestled in Newport’s Mansion Hill district, just a hop from Newport on the Levee and downtown Cincinnati’s beautiful riverfront. 

Our Story

The Mansion Hill Sanctuary is the former Central Christian Church built by a group of Freemasons in 1895 in the beautiful Mansion Hill district of Newport, KY. In 2007 the church was purchased by local musicians Ashley and Annette Shepherd for Ashley’s recording studio, Audiogrotto, which is in the ground level of the building. In 2011, the couple opened the event venue in the grand sanctuary room of the former church. Six years later the Shepherds expanded the business into the newly renovated adjoining 1st floor space for the Annex Lounge and Bridal Suite.

The Shepherds love seeing their space as a backdrop for joyous occasions that bring people together to connect and make memories, and they love seeing their clients’ visions brought to life. 

Capacity — 150 for ceremonies or cocktail-style events, 125 for seated receptions/parties.

The Sanctuary space, at 1850 square feet, with grand lofted ceiling of 25 feet, still has its spectacular original stained glass windows in brilliant jewel tones and lovely pastel hues, and turn of the century light fixtures. The floor of the space has been restored to its gorgeous original hardwood. The space also contains a 30-foot elevated stage and the original lofted baptismal font, from which DJs have been known to hold court during parties and wedding receptions.

Amenities — 14′ projection screen and mounted state of the art high-lumen projector, PA system w/ microphone, mounted club and spot-lighting, disco ball, lectern, grand piano

Capacity — 35

Beautiful, modern, clean-lined 600-square-foot space for smaller events (showers, dinner parties, offsite meetings) or as additional overflow space for bar and buffet line for larger events.

This opal-colored room is a dreamy getaway space perfect for relaxing and getting ready for the big day. Bride and bridesmaids can come in early morning and stay all day. There’s also plenty of room for hair stylists and makeup artists to work.

Pricing

The pricing for events is dependent on the day of the week, the number of guests, the type of event and the needs of the client, with wedding ceremonies starting at $1250, wedding receptions starting at $2250, and Annex rental starting at $600. Contact us for specific price quotes and what is included with the rental – 859-982-9887 or info@mansionhillsanctuary.com

Bar Services

Mansion Hill Sanctuary is licensed by the state of Kentucky to serve alcohol. We can provide wine, beer and spirits for any type of event. We have different bar packages we offer – by the drink, per person or cash bar – to best meet your needs. We also provide non-alcoholic beverages. We’re happy to upgrade the packages to customize them with specific types or brands of beverages.

For food, you may use the caterer of your choice.

Sustainability/Green efforts

The Mansion Hill Sanctuary is committed to recycling as much of the waste leftover from our events as we can. We try to minimize disposable items and use recyclable and compostable materials when possible. In our renovation we up-cycled as many of the materials as we could (e.g. using wood from the surplus of oak pews for woodwork in downstairs studio). We donate bulk quantities of leftover food to a local soup kitchen in Newport. We’re happy to work with clients to make their event as sustainable as possible.

Wedding clients may rehearse free of charge the morning or afternoon of the wedding. If clients want to rehearse on a date other than the wedding date, they may reserve an available weekday the week of the wedding (other than Friday) at a charge of $150/hr.

We let you have access to the space the morning of your event as soon as we can have it cleaned and ready for you, generally by 10am.

There is an upstairs kitchen in the Annex with stove, sink, refrigerator, dishwasher and counter space. There is also a downstairs kitchen with a commercial stove, commercial sink, counter space and a refrigerator.

We are happy to give you referrals to our favorite caterers.

Yes

We do not own our own lot. However, we have 2 nearby parking lot rental options that work very well for our clients and their guests.

The main Sanctuary room is approximately 46′ x 40′

Sign the rental agreement and pay the deposit, which is 1/2 of the rental amount.

No

All that we require is that the client or caterer dispose of all the remaining food items at the end of the event and take the garbage and recycling to the outside waste bins.

Yes

Yes. We have no restrictions on catering.

No. We are licensed by the State of Kentucky to provide and serve alcohol at our events. Under the law in Kentucky, it is illegal for guests to bring their own alcohol onto the licensed property, including in the bridal suite. We do, however, offer several different types of bar packages for events.

Yes. All candles must be contained in glass votives, lanterns, or hurricanes. Nothing is permitted to be hung from ceiling of Sanctuary or windows. No nails or screws are permitted or anything which damages or may take finish or paint off of surfaces.

Sure! We do walk-throughs by appointment generally any weekday before 3pm, Wednesday evenings, and weekends as the space is available. Call us to set up a time – 859.982.9887.

If the date is available, you may rent the space for the ceremony price for the date and have all-day access to the space.

4 hours for parties/receptions. If you’re doing a wedding ceremony and reception, you get a total of 5 hours. Wedding ceremonies are allotted 3 hours. As stated above however, the wedding party gets full day access for rehearsal, decorating, setup, and photographs.

Contact

417 E 6th Street

Newport, KY 41071

859 982 9887

info@mansionhillsanctuary.com