Whether you’re looking for rustic, country charm; small-town quaintness; or a very modern look, in a very old part of the city, the Greater Lansing community has its choice of unique, historic sites for hosting a wide range of special events.

The English Inn

In 1928, the 10,000-square-foot Tudor Revival home of auto baron Irving Reuter and his wife, Janet, was completed on 15 acres in Eaton Rapids. In 1989, the site was       converted to a restaurant and bed and breakfast, and in 1996, current owner-operator Gary Nelson bought The English Inn. The Reuters’ original gardens, gazebo, nature trails and other amenities still remain.

“We have an ideal venue for corporate retreats,” Nelson states. “It’s away from all of the hustle and   bustle of everyday life.”

“People who come here for an all-day conference really do feel like they’re away,” adds Amy Serr, manager of The English Inn. “It’s a nice getaway.”

In 2002, Nelson added a 10,000-square-foot banquet facility. “That seats 200 upstairs and we have two meeting rooms in the downstairs that seat 40 to 50 people,” he noted. “We do a lot of business meetings there.”

While the inn hosts numerous    conferences and is a natural favorite for weddings, it also has held birthday parties, holiday celebrations, charitable activities and wine tastings. According to Serr, for one “prominent Michigan company” the inn’s staff contacted its “most popular wine purveyor” to supply the event, and then the inn’s chef organized a special pairing of foods to go with the wines.

“We’ll be doing our fifth annual Titanic charity dinner where we replicate one of the seven-course menus in the first-class section of the Titanic,” adds Nelson. “That’s put on in conjunction with Absolute Gallery, and it benefits the Ronald McDonald House.”

As for the overall diversity of the inn’s events, Serr notes, “Sometimes you think you’ve seen everything, and then the next weekend rolls around.”

In addition to the banquet facilities, The English Inn has a pub and a 110-seat restaurant, as well as ten overnight rooms.

“We have an excellent culinary crew, whether it is a business event for 100 or dinner for two,” said Nelson. “Our chef is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Our pastry chef has been here for 12 years.”

Serr notes that the inn’s repeat customers are often people who originally came for a conference and found it an ideal site for a wedding, or people who attended a wedding and then scheduled a business meeting.

“When people are searching for a unique facility, we are definitely at the top of the list,” she states. “We’re not that general banquet/hotel room kind of thing. We have exceptional food and service as well and we have such a diverse range of activities. We have so many things going for us.”

Grand Ledge Opera House

In the heart of small-town charm, overlooking the Grand River, the renovated Grand Ledge Opera House hosts numerous public and private events throughout the year.

Originally built in 1884 as a roller rink, it became an opera house in 1886, featuring vaudeville acts, theatrical troupes, and later showing silent films. Its next incarnation was as two successive furniture stores; and when the last one closed, it fell into disrepair. A century after the site was built, the owners turned it over to the Grand Ledge Area Historical Society which, along with the Grand Ledge Chamber of Commerce, raised funding to restore it as a community center.

“It reopened in 1993,” notes Melanie May, manager for the Grand Ledge Opera House. “Now we have the ballroom and the lower level. The lower level is where you see a lot of outdoor ceremonies for weddings. That’s where our gardens are. The main floor is the more historic part of the building, where we have    ceremonies and wedding receptions, and a lot of other events throughout the year that benefit the community. We have a warming kitchen, and the grand hall has the large balcony. The terrace level actually has French doors that line one whole side of the building and go out onto the bricked terrace to the gardens, down to the gazebo.”

The main level can seat 240 to 300 guests, and the terrace level can accommodate 200 people. The    community activities include concerts featuring the opera house’s restored 1928 Barton organ that was originally at the Michigan Theater in Downtown Lansing.

“We’re going to start doing a community service this winter for anyone who wants more information [about topics like] Alzheimer’s or financial planning,” adds May.

Presently, the opera house is involved in the construction of a new river walk, linking it with two of the city’s parks. “[Where the river walk goes by here] it will match what we already have with the concrete and the brick,” says May, “and there will be an overlook that will be right off of our property as well.”

Such improvements are designed to increase the opera house’s mission to serve as a center for community events, public meetings and private social occasions.

Perspective2 Studio

In Lansing’s oldest part of the city—in what some older residents may remember as the D & C store across the street from the Tastee Freeze—Perspective2 (P2) incorporated the building’s historic features into what it now advertises as “urban-chic” and “retro-cool.”

“We have the original, beautiful, restored hardwood floors; the art deco tin ceiling; and the Chicago brick walls,” notes owner and founder Lynne Brown.

But Brown hadn’t originally envisioned the site as an event hall.

“P2 started out as primarily a member-based photographic studio just over a year ago,” she explains. “Within a very short period of time, it became evident we’d built a whole, wonderful events facility. We have two unique studios that can be used for birthday parties, dance [programs], receptions, book signings, business meetings and all kinds of creative events.”

On Halloween night, P2 hosted a “virtue” dance, which included hip hop and the Chicago hustle, while at other times it holds tango programs and Gumbo & Jazz featuring New Orleans’ cuisine as well as music.

“We [had] a fund raiser [in] October with five bands here throughout the late afternoon and evening, [with] folk, Americana and roots music, as well as auctions and different vendors,” Brown notes.

P2 has nearly 4,000 square feet available and, depending on the setup, can hold 200 to 300 people.

“We also specialize in more intimate events,” says Brown. “We have a baby grand piano. We have stage lighting. We have a full-service kitchen.”

The studio also comes with a complete crew of special events planners, a graphic designer, a studio manager and a lighting technician. Brown even has Media Graphics, a company she started in 1986, on site.

“That’s actually worked quite well with our special events,” she says. “We can develop brochures and marketing materials to help put the marketing face to the event.”

P2 also holds classes on photography and graphic arts, hosts speakers on various topics and has gallery displays. The front lobby is even open to the public to just come in, have a seat and hang out.

“We’re different than other commercially available rental spaces in that we are in the creative hub of Old Town,” Brown notes.