The Sanctuary on Penn

Oh dear, oh dear. This is such an interesting place. Maybe a little too interesting. There’s a difference between looking rustic and being rundown.
The wedding I attended here was exquisite, but it was because of the unique people and a creative wedding.
I feel that the venue allowed for far more people to be invited than should have been. We were ushered through a small room after the ceremony while they took pictures and then changed to the reception hall. The bar room was crowded and hot. It did lead to a deck outside, but it too was cramped with people. We waited for almost two hours and by waited I mean stood. There was, maybe 10 seats available for 100+ people.
The food was depleted by the time we got to the buffet, leaving only the fish of the two available proteins.
Again, the wedding itself was perfection, but I see the failures on the part of the venue.

Went here for a Halloween party and thought the venue really catered well to the party!
They had one room setup as the cocktail lounge with a full bar and face painter.
Another huge room with a live band, dance floor, magic show and fire eaters rotating throughout he night.
The basement housed a «lounge» vibe with pool tables and seating.
This place could easily accommodate a couple hundred.

I have attended a couple of weddings and other events at the Sanctuary on Penn and each one was unique and beautiful. The space has tons of character and versatility and the staff is always friendly. I hope to attend more events at The Sanctuary in the future and maybe even hold my own event there!

I first visited the Sanctuary on Penn for a NYE event celebrating 2014. My (now) husband and I walked in and said to each other that we wanted to eventually get married there. A little over a year later and we did!
Choosing a venue was one of the first planning tasks I completed. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to afford the Sanctuary and checked out other places. I found some really affordable hotel ballrooms and community spaces, but no one had the charm of the Sanctuary. Once I factored in how much we would save on décor and all of the complementary services provided by the Sanctuary it was a no brainer. The Sanctuary would give us the biggest bang for our buck.
What’s awesome about the Sanctuary is its all inclusive style. I had my own DJ, photographer, hair, and makeup artist, but anything else I needed the Sanctuary provided. It was such a mental and financial relief to be able to bundle all of these services into one rate. They also had a wonderful payment option of making monthly payments for services rather than requiring large 50% deposits and another large payment due with our final count. For my husband and I, who share expenses with our parents, this was a smooth plan that ensured we walked away from the wedding with no debt.
Our ceremony and reception were beautiful. As expected, we needed minimal decorations because the space is beautiful on its own. Scott and Lorie made sure everything rolled out smoothly and Rosie left all of our guest stuffed and satisfied. Speaking of Rosie… she’s good. So So Good. You know that food that makes you hum when you eat it… yea our reception dinner made us do that.
I would suggest the Sanctuary on Penn to anyone looking to get married in the Indianapolis area. They staff was wonderful to work with and the space is beautiful.

Before we decided to go with the Sanctuary, I had read some of the negative reviews and was really worried. The reviews were wrong! My wedding was amazing. It is a beautiful setting, Lorie is at your beck and call the entire day, and Scott is like an army general making sure everything runs smoothly throughout the ceremony and reception. I have had so many people tell me how much they loved my wedding and loved the venue because it was so unique.

No way.
My brother got married here and it was one thing after another. First let me say that the venue itself is beautiful and the food was good. Now let me get into the meat of the review. We were to sow up four hours before the wedding (wedding at 4:00, we get there at noon for pix) but the doors were locked. So we waited, until the cook let us in when she came out to do something cook related (again the food was good, she did a great job). Outside the temperature was in the high 80’s at ceremony time and inside is was the same temp. People were going outside to cool off in the shade of the structure. As a side note, the limo the girls took to get their hair done had no AC, and when that happened it was really hot out, like 95 degrees). There were no salt and pepper shakers at the tables during dinner and when they were asked for it seemed like a strange concept to the staff, there were also no napkins at the head table, so I hope our tuxes get washed well. As part of the centerpieces were bottles of wine, but the venue claimed that it was illegal to put wine glasses on the tables, now, I’m a lawyer, but I’ve never heard of that law, but then again, I don’t do criminal law so I could have overlooked that particular statute, but I think that at a wedding reception people are going to be drinking and we know that minors can’t drink (plus we needed something to do the toasts with, so the bottles of wine would have been great). Another part of the centerpieces were floating candles, they bothered the bride to say that they didn’t have lighters long enough to light the candles, now I can’t fault them for being too dumb to realize that they just needed to add more water, which the bride did when they told her that, but what I can fault them for was bugging the bride about it, she had enough on her plate that day, and I should also point out that they didn’t have any lighters, they borrowed those from me, the best man. They led my brother, the groom, to believe that it was an all night open bar, but at 9:45 they told him they were doing last call b/​c they only usually do an open bar for 4 hours, so my brother had me get his wallet so he could pay them for the opportunity to have his guests pay for drinks until midnight. I realize I’m going on and on, but there was more, they called the police on us when the bride’s aunt wanted to help get wine glasses onto the tables so that the maid of honor and I could do our toasts (the cops, to their credit, left without incident). There are traditions for my brother and his wedding party that involved booze that we were told were cool, but the booze was taken by the venue until I was able to get it back with a promise it wouldn’t be opened on the premises. And although the contract said that top shelf booze would be available it was only available at the upstairs bar while at the downstairs bar the only booze available was the cheapest possible (do not get a scotch and soda at the downstairs bar!). All in all, it’s a big fat NO

Very cool vintage look. But avoid booking an event in the hottest summer months. The
A/​C is woefully inadequate. Was there for a reception and EVERYBODY was soaking wet with sweat. The people in charge seemed a tad less than professional. They would say they’ll do something for you and then ignore the request. On the positive side, the building has a very cool look. It has potential but the A/​C needs an investment and the peeps in charge are a little disorganized. If your event is early Spring or Fall, you should be fine. But hire your own vendors to save $.

I have a (semi) new found fascination with the older buildings of Indianapolis. This one is truly spectacular. Beautiful wood, stained glass; I even loved the peeling paint on the walls. It was awesome. This would be an amazing place for a wedding reception (if no one is in a wheelchair)-which is why I am sure they offer that service. :)
Drawbacks: toilets are not industrial, or ADA accessible. I was there for a larger event (Moonshine and Merriment), and when my friend and I went to use the restroom at the intermission, both toilets were not flushing.
Setup of the place is somewhat awkward. To get to the bar, you had to walk through the chapel part of the church, where there was a performance going on. This is not a criticism, but more of an observation.

I have been here for several events, and it has very beautiful stain glass windows, and very spacious areas for events and gatherings. The gentleman who runs/​owns the location, is rather friendly and seems to know what he is doing when running his said events.

I came for the Unilocal Black Magic Bash. It was nice and open. The only problems I encountered were lack of parking and no A/​C. It was a sauna! Very pretty though!

I attended a Halloween party hosted at The Sanctuary and I would have to say the general impression of the space was «meh.» It’s an old church that is in need of some serious renovations and upgrades. During the night it rained and the roof leaked quite a bit of water directly onto a food vendor setup in their main space.
Both the basement and the second floor spaces are accessible by very narrow and quite steep staircases that are cramped enough that it’s difficult for two people to pass each other.
If you’re looking for a venue for a night time gathering or a simple party this might do the trick. I would avoid The Sanctuary in the light of day or for more formal situations like a wedding as it’s just not up to par with many other offerings in the city.

It’s hard to walk through the Sanctuary and not look up in wonder: the majesty of the space punctuated by mere brick and mortar.
Once an edifice built in adoration and respect for a deity, the Sanctuary on Penn remains a fantastical leap into the world of the divine. No, not the «gold-​lined streets» and «pearly gates» divine you’re probably imagining. The real one. The one where character is evidenced by scars, where splendor withstands the test of time in the shape of sturdy well-​worn floorboards, and grand architectural gestures are frozen in time thanks to the faithful caretakers.
The bowels of the Sanctuary beckoned party-​goers for Unilocal’s Black Magic Bash. Exploring the spookified lair was such a treat! Truly a magical place.

My experience with this place is as a venue for a Unilocal Halloween party. The party itself was great, and if you want to have some kind of huge throw-​down with multiple spaces for dancing, drinking, eating, and canoodling, this might be a good spot. This venue used to be a church… Lutheran…so the sheer sacrilegiousness of getting drunk here on a pagan holiday was not lost on me.
However, be aware:
This building is REALLY old. It shows. If you’re not into cracked plaster, peeling paint, being able to see into the basement when you’re standing on the first floor… not for you.
There doesn’t seem to be a dedicated parking lot… your guests will have to park at a meter probably, then walk to the venue.
There is ONE bathroom (that we saw) that doesn’t require navigating (irregular) stairs. If there are older folks or wheel-​chair users on your guest list, use caution.
This place has that «we broke into an abandoned structure to find shelter during the apocalypse/​have a rave/​hold a séance» vibe.
I don’t think the owners of this venue did much with it when they bought it. It looks like they had plans to fix some stuff but never did. Case-​in-​point there should NOT be an extension ladder propped up outside the sole wheelchair accessible restroom. I noticed the shingles are sliding off the roof too.
This would be a FANTASTIC venue for Halloween parties, «ghost of Christmas past» type parties, gothic or medieval-​themed weddings… This party was great, but it was organized by our Unilocal CM, not by the Sanctuary’s staff. Please keep this in mind if you are thinking about using this venue.

I was here for a Halloween party, and it was great! Yes, the building is not in the greatest shape (I did see a few leaks), but I guess it all depends on what you are expecting. I can certainly see why people who had or attended weddings here were disappointed. It’s not really in wedding shape yet, unless you want a kind of gothic, old, rustic vibe. It’s a fabulous party space, though, with lots of room to dance. Stained glass windows, cool little nooks and crannies, pennies lining the floor of several areas (including the bathrooms downstairs) — this place has tons of character!

Beautiful stained glass posing on the outside presence. Hit the door, looked to the left… skinny spiral stair way heading upwards. Nice! Yet, this old church is in disrepair.
It is charmy and warming and large enough to hold a wedding, even a small concert. Nooks, crannies with twists and turns. The Sanctuary would be a good venue to show old and new films. Plenty of seating with separated hobknobbing afterwards.

This building was the perfect location for Unilocal’s Black Magic Halloween Bash! I can understand how someone having a wedding here might be less than happy, but don’t discount this location for other events that require lots of space.

I thought this place was great! Tons of open areas and large rooms to make a large party feel more intimate. Perfect location for Halloween party and honestly, I couldn’t imagine throwing anything but a party here!
Atmosphere was great and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. Easy to find and plenty of open air areas to get the fresh air moving.
Would love to check out a flea market here or something of that nature to get more of a daytime feel.

Very cool old building, love the penny tiled floor in the ladies toilet. I wish there was more to say about this venue, it is just really cool.

The Sanctuary on Penn is such a cool event space! It’s huge! There’s a big room for a dance floor, a tiny little upstairs that overlooks a smaller room with a bar, and the downstairs, which was my favorite part. It was a basement and you really got the «I’m in an old church and there might be a ghost hanging out with me» vibe.
If it doesn’t make it as an event space, it would be a really cool night club. I felt the need to keep exploring more. It was sort of like a maze; always another staircase to climb or a hidden room to sneak a peak into.
Check it out if you’re looking to host an event in a unique space. The event I attended went off flawlessly as far as I could tell as a guest.

If you’re a suburbanite who thinks south of 96^th Street (or north of County Line Road) gets scary real quick, nothing I say about this place is going to shake your resolve. It’s not a bad area at all, but the immediate vicinity hosts a number of social service organizations that cater to people who need social services. That in itself may explain the shape that this building was in before the folks from The Sanctuary rescued it.
Yes, it’s a century-​old Lutheran church that closed in the mid 2000s after declining membership. It very well could have faced the wrecking ball if it sat vacant for too many more years. Recognizing both the acoustics and the irreplaceable architecture, the team at the Sanctuary bought the place and de-​churchified it, transforming it to a multi-​purpose events space. Sure, it needed a renovation, but the owners of the Sanctuary knew that a whitewash would kill the deal. It still looks old. Distinguished. Perfect, really.
It’s the whole gestalt that matters in this case – not only was a great idea in itself, but I got to see how it played out. We enjoyed a wedding reception here, one that wouldn’t have been authorized in many, many churches (it’s up to you to guess why). The low lighting gave it an almost sepulchral feel, but one that evokes reverence rather than anything sinister. Elegant. Serene. And the staff was always unobtrusive without ever being neglectful.
The Sanctuary has retained enough ecclesiastical relics so that recalls its heritage, but it stripped enough away that it never feels oppressively «churchy». Nor does it have that old church smell. It should be adaptable to just about anything where you need to entertain a guest list in the low triple digits. Good for live music too, I’d imagine. And the floor treatment in the restrooms is way cool. Strongly recommended – and let’s face it, the neighborhood really isn’t bad at all.