A Modern Event Venue That Preserves Coatesville’s History and Promotes Coatesville’s Revitalization
St. Cecilia’s in Coatesville was a historic Catholic church that served the community for over 140 years. Originally built in 1870, the church was designed in a Swiss Gothic style, complete with stunning cathedral arches, a central rose window, and two overlooking balconies. When the church, unfortunately, sat vacant for a number of years, a local vision was sparked. In order to preserve the great history of the church and bring forth decades of new memories and life events, The Arches was the vision of Crosby Wood, of New Heritage Properties, a Coatesville-based development company.
The Arches is an event venue space on East Chestnut Street, which carefully and thoughtfully repurposed the church to support the ongoing revitalization of Coatesville by hosting weddings and events for the Coatesville community and beyond.
“Our vision was to keep St. Cecilia’s available to the community. It was the fabric of the Coatesville community for decades,” said Jane Darnell, Managing Director. “The goal of The Arches is to provide a space to celebrate any of life’s events.”
Speaking of the revitalization, The Arches has sought to put Coatesville on the map, bringing in clients and visitors to the city for weddings and other events. Since they held their first wedding in May of 2021, The Arches has held over 100 events and had 25,000 guests. Not only do guests come from all over the United States, but they also hail from all over the world, including Germany, Colombia, Mexico, and Haiti. The Arches has hosted guests from every state in the Northeast region and from every county in Pennsylvania along with Kansas, Oklahoma and Florida. Darnell explained. “We recommend local caterers, djs, designers, photographers, planners and more. It has benefited the local businesses immensely.”
Promoting Coatesville starts when a client comes in for a tour. We recommend local pizza shops, breakfast places, Mexican restaurants and more. Many weddings have used The Iron Eagle, Kings Tavern, Stottsville Inn, Harry’s, Triple Fresh and more for their rehearsal dinner. Out-of-town guests stay in the Coatesville Marriott, other local hotels, and Airbnb’s.
“We always tell our clients and guests about the history and the ongoing revitalization of Coatesville, how great the community is and suggest places to visit, like the Iron & Steel Museum,” said Darnell.
Along with the preserved historic style of St. Cecilia’s, The Arches was designed by Beth Elvanian. Beth is a talented wedding photographer with an abundance of design experience. She chose a neutral palette of gray and white to enhance the beautiful arches, allowing clients to design their dream wedding and event against the venue’s backdrop. She is also the creative behind the website and so much more.
The Arches has a number of spaces for guests to use, including a lower level called Ceci’s, which boasts an open floor plan; perfect for corporate meetings, cocktail hours, charity events and more.
Right beside The Arches’ venue is The Suites, which was St. Cecilia’s rectory. It is a detached house with spacious and light-filled rooms with a beautiful wraparound porch. The Suites is a wedding suite for the couple to use for hair and makeup and to get ready in while hanging out with friends and family. This amazing home can also accommodate cocktail parties, small showers, corporate meetings and more.
Many different cultures have hosted events at The Arches. The venue has hosted church services, prayer services, Quinceañeras, African weddings and parties, Mennonite acapella concerts, and so much more. It has been used as a worship space for those without one.
“We hosted a wedding for a bride whose grandmother got married in the church 72 years earlier.” Darnell shared. The tying of past and present has been a standing pillar of The Arches’ values. Growing a successful business by hosting memorable weddings and events, while bringing many to Coatesville to help be a part of the revitalization has been our goal.
Looking forward to the future of Coatesville and The Arches, the business is looking to add overnight suites on the second floor of The Suites for those hosting weddings and events while staying in Coatesville.
To inquire about event pricing or for more information, visit The Arches website at www.midwayarches.com or call Jane at (610) 996-2760.
Looking to participate in Dry January? Read about Animated Brewing’s creative spin on the alcohol-free month here.
