The Mansion at Oak Hill

I attended a very early morning meeting here today. It was a good Chamber event, unfortunately the food was subpar, and the women’s bathroom was in very sad shape.
Apparently this will be our last meeting at this venue, as the Mansion has been purchased. Hopefully, the new owner: operator will restore the venue to a more glorious time.

Two words: Shit Island.
My key memory from our visit to The Mansion at Oak Hill was that the women’s restroom could use some serious ventilation love. Ay, caramba. I could go into detail but I image you get my drift. After returning from Shit Island to the conference room, you’ll find decent eats (especially for catered food) — I especially enjoyed the veggie lasagna. I don’t know if it was because of the changing seasons or an effort to save money, but it was very, very cold (to the point that some attendees were wearing winter jackets inside).
I imagine the Mansion at Oak Hill has seen better and brighter days. Based on the décor and vibe, I imagine those brighter days were in the 70s or 80s? I was recently there for a half day conference that included a mini breakfast and lunch provided by the Mansion.
Over all, a few minor fixes could make the Mansion more Mansion-​like.

I’ve attended three different events at The Mansion at Oak Hill, and here are my thoughts in a nutshell:
The Good:
–plenty o’ parking
–outside space for wedding, etc.
–nice, large banquet space in a rustic-​ish mansion (but also not the most jaw-​droppingly beautiful rustic venue I’ve ever seen)
–spacious, clean bathrooms
–nice staff that is quick to clean up plates, etc. but also doesn’t distract from the event
–GREAT food — I attended a luncheon and really enjoyed the green beans, vegetable lasagna, and chicken. Oh, and can’t forget the dessert spread ;)
The Not So Good:
–the times I’ve been there, we always seem to run into Internet connectivity issues/​projecting a presentation from a computer… womp womp
–wi fi/​service in general is slooooowww
–the banquet room I was in was FREEZING

As a staff member sitting through an all day meeting, this location was great. The large windows allowed plenty of natural light to stream in. On breaks, it was great to take a stroll outside to the gazebo and around the property.
The food satisfied my hunger; however, was not overly memorable. The chicken was a bit dry and the croutons were spongey– which was a bit of a weird texture.
Staff were bit overly friendly and not helpful in obtaining the wifi password to run materials needed throughout the day.

My wife and I attended a charity event here last night and had a very nice time. We were not involved in any fashion with the planning so my POV is strictly that of a guest.
The building is very old school… it is tucked away from 116^th street enough that it feels secluded. When we first walked in it smelled «old». I couldn’t tell if it was musty or what but from a «first impression» standpoint it wasn’t the best. Once thru the lobby this went away. The event was held in (presumably) the main room. Nice open space with a lot of natural light. In the afternoons this would be extremely bright and cheery.
The food wasn’t too bad for banquet style… chicken was tasty, the ubiquitous roasted squash vegetable medley was good, and the mashed potatoes were sufficiently garlicky (maybe a bit too much). Desserts (cake, pie, cheesecake) were good. Excellent coffee. The cocktails were sufficiently strong with a good variety.
I found the staff to be very attentive with keeping glasses full, plates cleared, etc. They seemed to be on top of things without being in the way. Pretty well done IMO.
Nice time overall… I likely won’t have occasion for an event here but wouldn’t mind attending another here in the future.

As a guest at a recent wedding, I do not understand the appeal of this place. While it seems like a cozy atmosphere, I think there are much better options around for wedding venues. The food was bland (i.e. I had to douse it with salt and pepper), the décor is dated and the service was just OK. The Mansion can accommodate up to three weddings an evening. Personally, I find this to be very impersonal. It’s your special day, why spend it with two other brides?

It’s been a few years since I’ve had a reason to visit the Mansion, so I was excited that the Girl Scout Leadership Luncheon was being held there.
The room was full and the wait staff attentive and organized. The food was warm and prompt (hard to do, I’m certain). I was overjoyed that it wasn’t the same rubber chicken most lunch events serve — moist chicken wrapped in a fluffy crêpe. Yum!
Oh, and the Girl Scout Cookie incorporated into the dessert’s presentation was a lovely touch.

From my perspective as a guest everything went really well. The food was good and it was a beautiful outdoor setting. The weather could not have been better for the lucky couple!
But I know the family really well and they had some major issues with the venue. There was nowhere for the wedding party or even the bride to change. Even though the house was empty and not being used for anything that day. $ 8+K for a venue and you can’t provide a single room for people to get ready in! The bride literally had to sit in the car until a few minutes before the ceremony.
In addition, the chairs were set out ready for the wedding the night before. Right under some walnut trees… Well if you aren’t familiar with walnut trees you may not know that they fall off the trees and have these green husks that turn black. Black husks on white chairs are not good. I’m all for early prep, but send someone out to clean off the chairs, wipe them down (they were damp from the morning dew even though it was an afternoon wedding), remove spiderwebs, dirt etc…
That’s my take. It just seemed like for the «service» they received $ 3000 for the venue would have been a MUCH more reasonable rate.

The Indianapolis chapter of the Project Management Institute meets here for monthly meetings. The service and food are good. They need to add Splenda to their sweetener selection.