UNION PROJECT in Highland Park (Pittsburgh, PA)

CaitlinNHarding

Hello everyone! I am looking at reception venues and considering the Union Project. I love the look of the place, the size and the mission of the organization. I would like to hear from anyone who rented this space for their wedding reception or has been a guest at a wedding there to see what you have experienced. Our top concerns are: 1. Catering because they have no stove or warmers in the kitchen and it is small, 2. Parking/Shuttle/Valet (for guests) because the lot is not theirs, only hold 40 cars, and there is not enough street parking, and 3. Bathrooms because there are only two single person bathrooms in the place, and the building is so old, I worry about reliability in the plumbing and the practicality of two toilets serving 200+ guests very well. Any other problems you've noticed or suggestions you have are very welcome! Thank you!!

alm199

I think there would be plenty of on street parking...people can park on both sides of Negley and on the side streets around it. I used to live over there and there is usually a ton of free on street parking, especially on weekends because everybody is out. Most people will be coming in groups of 2-4 and between the lot and street there should be at least 100 spots.

I looked at the Union Project but ended up deciding that the bathrooms wouldn't be enough for 175-200 guests.

[Deleted User]

We recently looked at UP too but shied away for these very reasons. The one thing I found while I was still trying to make it work is that there’s a hotel in Shadyside/Oakland (sorry I forget the name) that has shuttle service within a 3 mile range and the UP falls within the distance. So if the majority of your guests are staying at a hotel, that could potentially be one way to avoid the parking situation.

 

The only other thing I didn’t like about it is that they won’t let you in early to decorate. You have to rent a second 5 five hour block and pay an extra $500 just to get in the space that morning. That, along with the parking and bathrooms ultimately is what made us decide not to go with them since we're also expecting 175ish. Good luck!

Pepperally

The hotel nearby with the shuttle service is the Marriott Springhill Suites in Bakery Square.

andosfiance

I've been a guest at a wedding here.  The venue as nice, but certainly not my favorite.  There is on street parking, but keep in mind it's not the best neighborhood so females and older guests may feel safer being escorted after dark.  Some of the guests at the wedding were approached by beggers outside looking for change and cigarettes.  This didn't really bother me; however the lack of AC for a July wedding was AWFUL!   Most of the guests ended up outside during the reception because it was just so unbearably hot in there.  They have NO AC and their solution is one large fan in the doorway (which looks TACKY).  They won't even open the windows! Keep this in mind if you are planning a wedding in the warmer months.  The bathrooms had a small line at times, but nothing unmanigable!