The Chapel on Sycamore seats up to 240 guests for a reception, or 400 standing, for weddings, corporate meetings, luncheons, fundraisers and performances. The venue is a stone Romanesque chapel built from 1897 to 1899 at 318 Sycamore Street in downtown Decatur, Georgia, a few miles east of downtown Atlanta, with a courtyard and two getting-ready suites.
Seminars and company events
Companies use the chapel for off-site meetings, luncheons, lunch-and-learn sessions and networking events, and nonprofits book it for networking and fundraising evenings. The main hall has a drop-down screen, a tabletop projector, a microphone, speakers and a podium, and the building is fully climate controlled. The space also hosts concerts, theater and film or media productions. The venue is privately owned and has no affiliation with any religion, denomination or church.
Weddings and receptions
Ceremonies usually take place in the main hall, with cocktail hour in the courtyard and the reception back inside. Small ceremonies can also be held outdoors in the courtyard. The courtyard and front lawn can be tented, and the team can refer tent rental companies. Two getting-ready suites, one off the breezeway and one under the main hall, each have a private restroom. The organ is fully functional, and couples can bring their own organist. Rehearsal dinners, mitzvahs and birthday parties are also hosted.
Rooms and capacities
The rental covers the main hall, the getting-ready suites, the courtyard and restrooms in the adjoining Sycamore Building. The hall seats up to 240 for a reception and takes up to 400 for a standing cocktail event. Sound is kept to an average of 90 decibels, measured by an event attendant.
Catering
Hosts choose a caterer from the venue's preferred list, or bring an outside caterer for an added fee, with proof of insurance and licensing. Hosts may supply their own alcohol, served by a caterer or bartending service that carries liquor liability and general liability insurance. A security officer is required at any event serving alcohol. Events end by 1 AM on Friday and Saturday and by midnight from Sunday to Thursday.
History and setting
Methodists began worshipping in Decatur in 1823 and built a first, probably log, church on the site in 1826. The present stone chapel was designed by architect G. L. Norrman, and the venue says it is the only surviving church he designed. A Tiffany stained glass window was given in 1897 in memory of Eliza Pearce. Transepts followed in 1916 and a choir loft in 1922. The congregation later moved to a new campus, and in 2020 the chapel and the Sycamore Building were sold to the law firm Williams Teusink. After renovation, the chapel hosted its first event in April 2022.
Getting there
The chapel is in downtown Decatur, within easy reach of DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Cobb counties. A parking lot at 309 Sycamore Street offers about 22 spaces on weekday evenings and all day on weekends, with street parking on Sycamore Street and North Candler Street and a public lot half a block away. The Decatur MARTA rail station is a short walk from the chapel, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is about 30 minutes by car.
