The Harding Allen Estate
Our main ballroom has been revamped to have open tented sides with significant open air flow for events, while still maintaining an elegant feel. When there are no issues with Covid restrictions, we return to our normal room! As we are a little further out in the country from Worcester, Boston, and Springfield, we are typically designated in the low-covid zone rating.
We have lots of outdoor spaces for your guests to explore, play yard games, and enjoy our gardens while practicing social distancing! And our dance floor and gardens work provide ample space for guests to dance while distancing! Check here for photos! *
Corporate Events, Tours, and Fundraisers!
Dear Friends;
We invite you to consider The Harding Allen Estate for your next function, corporate event, or getaway. We can provide a lovely brunch, lunch or dinner for groups large and small, from 25 to 275 guests.
About the Estate
The Harding Allen Estate is a stately neo-classical mansion, built in the 1920s as a private home for local industrialist and philanthropist Harding Allen. The interior is replete with the work of fine Italian craftsmen: marble work, crystal chandeliers, wood carvings, ornate ceilings and European detailing.
We have a permanent banquet ballroom, which can host large parties all year long!
Our menus are custom-designed for each season, so you’ll have a distinctive experience whether you’re here to enjoy our walled English gardens in bloom in the spring or the spectacular foliage in the fall.
Christmas at the Estate is a particularly picturesque time, as we dress the mansion in all of its holiday grandeur, with a wide array of ornaments on offer throughout the mansion.
About our Small Party Dinners
We invite you to inquire about our Small Party Dinner menu for birthday parties, showers, and corporate events!
About our Luncheons for Bus Tours
We are proud to introduce our Four Seasons Garden Luncheon menus, which you’ll find at this link.
If you’re looking for lighter fare, we suggest our Morning Glory Collection, consisting of crumpets, finger sandwiches, small pastries, deviled eggs, and an assortment of breads, bagels, jellies and teas. It’s the perfect way to start off a business meeting or corporate event. The price is $13.95 per person, plus 18% administrative fee and 6.25% MA state meals tax. We have other options, as well: we can supplement the Morning Glory Collection with soup and sandwiches or a formal lunch later in the day, or we can provide a full hot breakfast.
A 20-minute guided tour of the Estate and grounds is available to accompany your meal. We an also help you organize many forms of musical entertainment, from classical ensembles to jazz trios, as we have an extensive list of musicians who work with us during our wedding season. We can put you in touch with a Frank Sinatra impersonator, or offer you how-to classes in relaxation, belly dancing, or ballroom demonstrations. We also have a DJ who can entertain you with a selection of 1940s big band and swing music.
About the Town of Barre
The Harding Allen Estate is nestled in the quaint and pristine town of Barre, in the heart of central Massachusetts, just 25 minutes away from Worcester.
Barre has a rich history. It is home to one of the oldest stagecoaches in America, the Concord Coach; only one other coach, owned by the Gene Autry Museum, is as well-preserved. (You can see it on display at our Historical Society, which also houses many other treasures from the past.)
The Barre Theater hosts a play for each season, and is in walking distance of the Estate. It may be possible to arrange a presentation during the week.
For shopping, visitors can browse an extensive selection of gifts at our lovely Village Common Gift Shop, or go back in time to Cat Alley Antiques. Nearby, the North Brookfield Orchard is an excellent destination for the fall season, with their home-grown apples, fresh pies and cider, jams and jellies, and gift shop.
If you’d like to hold a religious-themed event, you could make a visit to the Ten Commandments Cross, a local landmark. A Barre resident was inspired to have it painted on a 25’ x 40’ pad of concrete on his lawn, and he’s always delighted to tell people the story behind it. The Cross makes a lovely addition to a Christmas, Passover or Easter tour, weather permitting.
We look forward to hosting your group or organization. Please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail for more information. We can often custom-design a menu or program to fit your budget guidelines!
