The Hormel Historic Home takes weddings, rehearsal dinners, meetings, seminars and private parties for up to 220 seated guests in its Carriage Hall, with smaller groups in the rooms of the 1871 house itself. The home stands at 208 4th Ave. NW in Austin, a town in southern Minnesota, and is run by an independent nonprofit that puts rental income toward the preservation of the property.
Seminars and company events
The Carriage Hall Event Center was added through a capital campaign to give the organization a larger rental space. Its suggested uses include business meetings, conferences, seminars, awards dinners, club meetings, retirement and holiday parties, and fundraisers. The audio and visual equipment was updated in 2019 and is included at no extra charge. The hall can be divided into three smaller rooms for breakout sessions, and a meeting of under 50 can also be held in the rooms of the historic house. Nonprofit organizations and members of the Hormel Historic Home receive discounted rates. Room dimensions are published in a document on the official site, which helps when planning a layout.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies can take place in the historic house, in the Carriage Hall or outside in the Peace Garden, and receptions seat up to 200 guests. The bride and groom each have a separate wing to get ready, and the couple has exclusive photo access inside the house museum, which gives indoor options when the weather turns. The home also hosts rehearsal dinners and offers a small-format wedding called the Mini-Mony. The executive director meets couples for a personal consultation and prepares a custom quote.
Rooms and capacities
The Carriage Hall seats up to 220 guests for a banquet and splits into three rooms of about 40 to 60 each. The historic house offers its living room, dining room, library and atrium for groups under 50, seated or as a cocktail reception. The Peace Garden is an outdoor lawn best used from June through September, for cocktail hours, ceremonies or fundraisers.
Catering
Catering is in-house: the Hormel culinary team designs a menu with each client. Sample options include appetizer, pasta, dessert and breakfast buffets, with add-ons such as salads, shrimp cocktail and entrées. The bar is also run in-house, as a cash bar, a partly hosted bar or drink tickets, or a fully hosted bar. The home runs its own food events too, such as Lillian's Table, a culinary experience.
History and setting
The house was built in 1871. George A. Hormel, founder of the meatpacking company that became Hormel Foods, and his wife Lillian lived here before donating the house to the YWCA in 1927. Today it is a house museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not owned or funded by any corporation, city, county or historical society.
Getting there
Austin lies on Interstate 90 in southern Minnesota. Rochester International Airport is the closest commercial airport, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is about a two-hour drive. Office and tour hours generally run Tuesday through Friday, and event hours are set for each rental.
