American Serb Hall takes meetings, seminars, company dinners, weddings, quinceañeras and parties, with meeting seating from about 100 to more than 900 guests and two banquet halls of 8,000 and 5,000 square feet. The hall stands at 5101 West Oklahoma Avenue on the southwest side of Milwaukee, in a 55,000-square-foot building that has served the community for more than 75 years.
Seminars and company events
For meetings and seminars, the hall sets up seating for groups of about 100, 250, 400, 600 or more than 900. Breakout rooms are available for workshops and smaller discussions, and the two lounges work for networking before or after the main session. Corporate clients can add a breakfast, lunch or dinner prepared by the kitchen on site. The same rooms host holiday parties, retirement dinners, award banquets and special events. Parking is free, and a tour can be booked before reserving a date.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are a large part of the calendar. The Wisconsin Hall seats up to 650 wedding guests and the Presidents Hall up to 400. The culinary team serves plated dinners or buffets, and the lounges suit a smaller reception, a cocktail hour or an after-party. The hall also hosts quinceañeras, with Latino menus cooked from scratch on the premises.
Rooms and capacities
The Wisconsin Hall is the largest room at 8,000 square feet. It is listed for 300 to 600 guests, or up to 650 for a wedding, was recently renovated and can be split with partitions into smaller rooms. The Presidents Hall covers 5,000 square feet, has hosted events since 1950 and is listed for 150 to 300 guests, or 400 for a wedding. The Presidents Hall Lounge takes 50 to 75 guests. The Wisconsin Hall Lounge, 2,000 square feet, is the most casual space, used for watching games and bar-style gatherings.
Catering
Food comes from a fully staffed kitchen on site. Menus are shaped around each event, from corporate breakfasts to plated wedding dinners and buffet spreads. Every Friday the hall also runs its fish fry, a local tradition here since 1967, served in the dining room and through a drive-thru and carry-out window.
History and setting
The project began in November 1934, when Serbian immigrants in Milwaukee started a fund for a gathering place and a church. The 14-acre parcel at South 51st Street and West Oklahoma Avenue was bought in February 1949, on the advice of the Very Reverend Milan Brkich, dean of St. Sava Cathedral. The cornerstone was laid that fall, and the building was dedicated in September 1950 to Serbian Orthodox men who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, 15 of whom died. A memorial in the lobby honors all who served.
The first hall had 12 bowling lanes, two bars, a kitchen and parking for 400 cars. A 31,000-square-foot addition opened in May 1987 with a second large hall and a second lounge, raising capacity to more than 2,000 people. The whole building was renovated in late 1999 and again in 2023. Over the decades it has hosted rallies and events with Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton.
Getting there
The hall is on Milwaukee's southwest side, with ample free parking on site. General Mitchell International Airport is a short drive to the southeast.
