The Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center hosts business meetings, banquets, theater performances, weddings and special events in a beautifully maintained, versatile space with ample free parking, flexible layouts, and modern amenities-all at an affordable price. For event planners, business professionals, and individuals looking for a unique venue, the Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center has your solution.
Spacious & Flexible
Host up to 500 guests in our modern auditorium, elegant ballroom, and intimate meeting rooms.
Prime Location
Conveniently located near downtown Pittsburgh, yet far from the hassle of city parking.
Affordable & Customizable
Competitive pricing and customizable event layouts to match your needs.
All-in-One Convenience
Commercial kitchen, AV capabilities, and free onsite parking included.
Trusted by Many
Home to countless business events, weddings, community gatherings, and corporate meetings.
Download our expert guide with key questions to ask before booking your event space!
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The GPMC is available for corporate meetings, banquets, seminars, performances, weddings, fundraisers, community events, memorials, and more.
Visit our Venue Availability Calendar or contact us directly at (412) 931-1996 | or contact us here to inquire.
Pricing depends on the event type, space, and duration. Request a customized quote via our Request a Quote form.
The event manager can only quote commercial pricing for events without the input of the Rental Committee. If you are a 501(c) 3, or your event involves numerous concurrent areas they may be able to advise you on how to make an appeal to the Rental Committee for sponsorship. Sponsorship is not guaranteed, but we pride ourselves on being a community resource and one of the main tenants of Freemasonry is philanthropy. Please inquire for details.
The Auditorium cannot be contracted without the prior approval of the Director of Stage and the submission of the pre-technical form for prior evaluation. Additionally, an in-person meeting with the Director of Stage is required within 30 days of booking.
Additionally, a requirement of booking the auditorium is an in person technical meeting within 30 days of contracting to determine how many stage crew will be assigned to their event and confirm that we are aware of all of their technical demands at this time. Additional technical requests that occur after this meeting are subject to staff availability and approval of the Director of Stage and they may not be accommodated.
The cost of renting the auditorium does not include the cost of the GPMC stage crew to run an event in the auditorium. Each event is unique, and the number of stage crew needed to run those events may vary. Additionally, stage crew must be hired for an average of an additional hour each day the auditorium is used. This additional hour allows the stage crew time to open up and prepare the auditorium for your use, as well as close down the auditorium and secure it after you have finished. You must pay the stage crew for this time in addition to the time reflected in your contracted usage hours. For example, if you are reserving the auditorium for 8 hours your crew timecards are likely to reflect 9 hours for that day. Because stage crew times are based on actual usage and not estimates, they are billed after the event based on the clock-in and clock-out time of those employees. Security deposits will not be returned until all stage crew fees and/or additional hours have been invoiced and paid for.
This question can only be answered after you have completed the pre-technical form and had an in person meeting with the Director of Stage. The number of stage crew determined needed by the Director of Stage is at their discretion and is final. Any technical change requests made after the technical meeting may impact the number of stage crew needed and may not be permitted if the predetermined staffing needs are exceeded after this meeting. Generally speaking, a minimum of 2 stage crew members are needed for most events and opening and closing the curtain requires it’s own dedicated stage crew person.
Generally speaking, no. However, if the Director of Stage can determine at the technical meeting that the training and experience level of some of your staff is sufficient to handle certain aspects of stage work, like running spotlights, opening curtains, or running your custom musical cues, they may approve their use. Even if approved, your stage crew members will likely be under the supervision of our stage crew.
No, not without a prior reservation. No one is allowed to access the auditorium without the presence of a stage crew member authorizing their entrance. This includes the attached robing room area, and any and all backstage areas. Stage crew staff are specifically subcontracted for each performance sequence based on the agreed upon contracted hours. They are not normally present in the building unless specifically contracted. Our regular GPMC maintenance staff cannot access the auditorium or allow you entrance. If you need auditorium access for any reason (decorating, laying marley, loading props and costumes, preparing the robing room for your performers, setting up your musical equipment, tuning a piano, etc., etc., this time must be contracted and approved in advance by the Director of Stage based on the availability of stage crew.
The basic lighting package that is included in the rental of the auditorium includes only “on” and “off” cues in full stage washes in the standard colors. The basic lighting package does not include custom cues, the use of the moving lights, or the refocusing or hanging of additional or existing lighting fixtures. If you require any of these types of advanced lighting scenarios you will require the use of a contracted Lighting Designer. A contracted Lighting Designer will be required for at a minimum of two (2) technical rehearsals to assist in setting up the light console for use at your performance at an additional charge. The GPMC staff will not instruct organizations or their staff on how to program our lighting console. Additionally, if any of our lighting instruments have been moved with approval, but not reset to their original positions after use, you will be charged for our staff to do the reset at double their contracted fee.
This can be determined after evaluating your needs via the pre-technical form and the required technical meeting. The Auditorium sound system is sufficient for most vocal and speaking events and we have a variety of wireless and wired microphones and monitors available for those needs. The sound system is not, however, designed for live instrumental musical ensembles where individual microphones are needed for balance and/or for high volume needs like rock bands. In those circumstances there is often the need to subcontract with a local audio company to provide a separate soundboard, individual microphones, monitors, and the personnel to run them under the supervision of our stage crew who will balance the overall system. The GPMC staff will not operate outside audio equipment. The GPMC also does not offer multiple battery-operated microphone packs for large groups of performers. Those can be acquired through local audio companies. The GPMC recommends the use of a choral shell for choirs and large musical ensembles to provide the best sound quality. The GPMC does not have a choral shell available for rental, however. We recommend checking with local performing ensembles who may be willing to rent theirs to you for a fee.
The Auditorium has a laminate tiled floor on the stage appropriate for most auditorium uses; however, certain dance groups often require a sprung-floor substitute referred to as marley. The GPMC does not have marley available for rental although we have subcontractors that we can connect you with if this is a need. Please be advised that marley often needs to be laid at least a day in advance of use in order to lay properly and that needs to be considered when booking your event. The time needed to place marley on the stage usually takes less than an hour of contracted time, but it is necessary to allow for that time and expense when contracting to ensure the availability of the auditorium. The specific type of tape used to secure marley to the Auditorium stage floor must be approved in advance of use by the Director of Stage.
We strongly discourage providing your audiences with food before your performance or at intermission. Only water in closed containers is allowed in the auditorium at any time. The nature of carpeting and upholstery, heavily used in the auditorium, means that the potential for damage from food and beverages is very high, and you, as the renter carry that financial risk and burden. There is a minimum 300.00 cleaning fee attached to any reservations offering food concessions, but this fee does not eliminate the potential of losing all or part of your organization’s security deposit if food or beverages are found to have caused any damage in the auditorium or carpeted main hallway. If concessions are an important part of defraying your rental costs, we encourage you to look at floral sales, auction baskets, and or merchandise sales in lieu of food. We also strongly encourage you to advertise that no food or beverage will be allowed at the facility on your ticketing and advertising so that people do not arrive at the GPMC with their $7.00 Starbucks in hand expecting to enjoy it during the performance.
The entire GPMC facility is fully accessible, on one level, and boasts a parking lot on the same level as the building and fully accessible bathrooms. If you wish to remain in a wheelchair there is open space in the first row of the auditorium on each side and your companions may sit beside you If these seats require tickets they would be A12, A14 (house left) and A11 and A13 (house right) . If you wish to transfer from a wheelchair to an auditorium seat there are a series of wheelchair transfer seats on the ends of rows. These seats are P1 and C1 (house left) and F108 (house center left) and H101 (house center right). If you choose a wheelchair transfer seat please note that your wheelchair must be relocated at the back of the auditorium after seating as nothing can obstruct the aisles for fire safety purposes. Our Auditorium layout (attached above) can help you designate and or request those seats from the ticket seller directly.
If you are a performer, access to the stage level is available via the robing room entrance or backstage entrances only. Please let us know if you have a performer who needs one-level access to the stage level, and we can best help you plan for their safety and ease of access.
If you need a private restroom area for disability reasons please contact the stage crew or front of house staff who can escort you to where these are located in the Grotto hallway. If you have other disability concerns please reach out to our office and event manager at 412-931-1996, and they will address any potential concerns you have.
Rentals include tables, chairs, onsite parking, AV capabilities, and access to our commercial kitchen. Linens are generally provided in your catering costs and as such are not included in our pricing.
Yes! We have an open vendor policy, meaning you can bring your own caterer (and other service providers) as long as they are adequately licensed and insured and sign and agree to our kitchen usage policies.
Yes, our auditorium and event spaces come with sound systems, microphones, projectors, and screens. The ballroom does not have a projector.
The sale of alcohol is not permitted under any circumstances, however, alcohol may be served with licensed and insured bartenders. All alcohol policies must comply with Pennsylvania state laws. We require security for events serving alcohol to the public and personal or organizational insurance is required including host liquor liability.
Absolutely! Schedule a Tour to explore our spaces in person.
Are you Interested in learning more about hosting your event at the Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center? Contact us for a tour or request a quote today.
