New Vintage Place is a big old brick building on Broadway Avenue NW, and it is a venue that spreads out. There’s a grand hall for dinner and dancing, a second hall upstairs for the ceremony, a 50-foot bar in between and a patio built around the building’s original smokestack. For a guest who uses a wheelchair or tires easily, the question at a venue like this isn’t whether the rooms are beautiful. It’s how they get from one to the next.

So that’s what we paid the most attention to on our walkthrough: the route from the parking lot, the elevator, the lift between levels and the restrooms along the way. Here’s what we saw, and what we’d still ask before booking.

Cover, Great Hall reception and cocktail hour photos: Kara Hanes Photography. All other photos and video: Hopelynd. The video has no sound and is here for visual reference only.

About New Vintage Place

New Vintage Place is at 889 Broadway Ave NW in Grand Rapids and is run by Rye Venues. According to the venue, it holds up to 300 guests and includes:

• The Great Hall, the main event space, with exposed brick and a large dance floor.
• Vintage Hall, an open room with tall windows above the cocktail lounge, often used for ceremonies.
• The Lounge, a cocktail lounge with a 50-foot bar.
• The Stack Patio, a hidden patio around the historic smokestack.
• Two dressing suites for the couple and wedding party.

The venue also lists free on-site parking. Spaces and capacities can change, so confirm current details with Rye Venues.

What’s Available

Because New Vintage Place is spread across more than one level, we’ve paid special attention to how guests move between spaces. Where we couldn’t see something, there’s a list of questions to bring to your venue planner.

Mobility & Physical Access

What we found: From the parking lot, a long, wide concrete sidewalk curves along the building to the main entrance under the black “889” awning. The path is level and smooth for most of the way, and we didn’t see a step at the glass double doors.

Inside, there is an elevator on the main floor marked “Ceremony Elevator,” which appears to take guests up to the ceremony space. We also saw an enclosed wheelchair platform lift beside a short set of stairs, so guests who can’t use stairs have a way between those levels. The main staircase has metal handrails.

The Lounge is where cocktail hour usually happens. It has a wide carpeted walkway along the 50-foot bar and an open floor with high-top tables, and the Great Hall and Vintage Hall both have open floors with room to move between tables and chairs.

Questions to ask the venue:

• Which spaces does the platform lift connect, and will someone on staff be available to run it during our event?
• Does the elevator reach every level we plan to use, including the dressing suites?
• Do the main entrance doors have automatic openers?
• Is there step-free access out to the Stack Patio?
• Is there a lower section of the bar for guests who use wheelchairs?

Parking & Drop-off

What we found: We saw at least two accessible parking spaces with blue-striped access aisles in the lot. The pavement around them has some patched cracks. The venue lists free on-site parking.

Questions to ask the venue:

• How many accessible parking spaces are there, and which ones are closest to the entrance?
• Is there a drop-off spot near the door for guests who need it?

Restrooms

What we found: There are restrooms on every level, so guests don’t have to change floors to find one. We saw a few of them. One has a sink counter that is open underneath, leaving room for a wheelchair to pull up, and a grab bar behind the toilet. The restroom by the dressing suite has a grab bar beside the toilet. There is also a multi-stall restroom with a long sink counter.

Questions to ask the venue:

• Which of the restrooms on each level have an accessible stall or grab bars?
• Is there a single-user or companion restroom where a caregiver can assist?

Sensory Considerations

What we found: The halls have high ceilings, exposed brick and big windows that let in a lot of natural light, with string lights and pendant lights overhead. High ceilings and hard surfaces can carry sound, so a full room may get loud. The dressing suites and a second lounge with a sofa and kitchenette are quieter spaces away from the main rooms.

Questions to ask the venue:

• Can one of the suites or lounges be kept open as a quiet room during the reception?
• Can the lighting or window shades be adjusted?
• Is there an assistive listening system available?

Caregiver & Companion Needs

What we found: The dressing suites have plenty of seating and room to spread out, which gives a support person space to help with getting ready.

Questions to ask the venue:

• Is there a private room where a guest can rest or receive care during the event?
• Can a caregiver or support person stay with the wedding party in the dressing suites?

Communication & Signage

What we found: The elevator is clearly labeled “Ceremony Elevator,” and exits are marked with lighted signs. During a wedding, the venue has put up a “Restrooms” sign with an arrow in the Lounge to point guests the right way. We didn’t document the permanent room or restroom signs closely.

Questions to ask the venue:

• Do the room and restroom signs include braille or raised lettering?
• Can your team put up signs pointing guests to the elevator and lift on the day of the event?
• Are there visual fire alarms in the event spaces?

Who Is This Venue Best Suited For in Accessibility?

For guests, New Vintage Place has a level walk from the parking lot, an elevator, a platform lift and open floors in the main rooms. It can work well for guests who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids, as long as you plan ahead for how they’ll move between spaces.

For couples and wedding parties, having separate spaces for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception gives the day natural breaks, and the Stack Patio makes a striking backdrop for portraits. If moving between floors is hard for someone in your wedding party, ask about keeping more of the day on one level.

Best suited for: Larger weddings of up to 300 guests · Guests who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids, with planning · Couples who love an industrial, historic space

Worth discussing with the venue: Who runs the platform lift · Elevator access to every space · Patio access · Accessible stalls and a companion restroom

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A Note from Hopelynd

A venue with several spaces can be wonderful for a wedding, but it asks more of guests who can’t take the stairs. At New Vintage Place, the elevator and the platform lift are what make the whole building usable, so those are worth talking through with your planner early.

Map out the day room by room with the venue: where the ceremony happens, where guests go next and how a guest using a wheelchair gets there. A good plan makes the transitions feel easy for everyone.

If you’re planning a wedding and want a photographer who genuinely understands accessibility, who will prepare for your needs, ask the right questions, and make sure no one in your family is left out of the frame, we’d love to work with you. You can see how we prepare for sessions here.

If you are part of the disability community and have visited New Vintage Place or any venue we have reviewed, we want to hear from you. Your firsthand experience helps us give future couples the most complete picture possible. Reach out to us at info@hopelynd.com.

Looking for more venues? Browse all of our Accessible Places guides, including our reviews of the Kindel Room and the Ballroom at McKay Tower, another Rye Venues space.