Pritzlaff Events

Beautiful space, but be prepared for a massive headache when working with the Pritzlaff. It’s easy to sum up: most vendors are in the wedding business, the Pritzlaff is a real estate company (Sunset Investors). In fact, the space was purchased by a commercial developer who converted it into a wedding venue only to ride out the real estate crisis that crippled his original plan to use the space for luxury condos and boutiques. Their main concern is turning a dime, not your wedding. And you will feel that severely throughout the entire process.
Responses (only after you sign the contract) are abrupt, boarder line rude, mark ups are CRAZY expensive (200 do simple go to the roof and take a photo? 500 for a string of lights?), added gratuity way above 20% that you must pay regardless, horrible wine and «champagne» (it’s Cava) selection that is ridiculously expensive… the list truly does go on.
Unfortunately, there were multiple times throughout the wedding planning process that we said to ourselves «let’s just get through this, we know we are simply money makers for them» and when you’re spending that much on a single day, it’s a really tough reality to swallow. Staff only respond to mails Tuesday-​Friday as they are too busy with weddings to answer over the weekends and need Monday to recover. Always review all of your itemized bills as there are extra charges that are unjustified. They will remove them if you put up a stink, but again, it’s a horrible feeling when you have to go through line by line because you know you are being taken for a ride. Very sadly, if we were to do it all over again, we would not work with the Prtizlaff.
If you are in a situation where you have an unlimited budget and someone else coordinating for you, it will be a great option. If you are doing it yourself, just know going into it that it will be difficult. It’s really a shame because if their customer service was up to par with other vendors in the same area, and up to speed with the beauty of the space, they would really have a phenomenal product on their hands and would, long term, turn a substantial profit. The potential is simply astronomical. Sadly, we signed before reading their reviews, and we painfully understood that too late in the game. Beware.

The Pritzlaff staff is every bit as difficult as the reviews make them out to be. Interactions with them are abrupt, showing no empathy towards your desires, are completely non-​negotiable, and generally provide a vibe that you do not want when planning out your special event. I would compare the experience to registering an out-​of-​state vehicle at the North Milwaukee DMV. (I’m sure some of you will get that one.) Maybe you’ll have a positive experience at first, but don’t hold your breath because that goes downhill. On top of this service issue, they attempt to charge astoundingly overpriced rentals ($ 1000 for an hour on the un-​decorated roof in the middle of a weekday? Come on guys… not even L.A. can get away with those prices). Unless you absolutely need to have your event at this exact location (or you have an assistant that will deal with the Pritzlaff staff), my fiancé and I would advise against it. Their emotionless staff and inability to work outside of the box ultimately drove us to another venue where our presence (and pocketbook) was welcomed.

We held our wedding reception in the 325 space of the Pritzlaff building last week.
Pritzlaff has an incredible product. The space itself is impressive, unique, and truly breath-​taking. Our guests were taken away by the beauty and ambiance of the space. Pritzlaff also has a handful of unique furniture pieces, which were great to elevate the décor of our reception.
Day-​of, the bar– and security– staff were incredibly helpful. The bar staff were quick, friendly, and helpful to all our guests. Bear, the security guard, went above and beyond to help throughout the reception. He even helped pack up our center pieces and décor at the end of the night! Kara, the on-​site coordinator, was also responsive. The day went off without a hitch.
However, we were not impressed with the customer service from the office staff leading up to the event. Response times were slow, and the office staff was cold towards us. We did not feel like valued customers, and were occasionally nervous that they were not on track with our event.
But, at the end of the day, the space was beautiful, the details came together, and the day-​of staff were incredible, which made for a fabulous reception.

Just got married on August 9^th and can not say enough wonderful things about the entire staff and #143 room. Just stunning. Amazing photographs. Lovely atmosphere. My husband and I are beyond pleased about contracting with them. Thank you so much for helping us make our day so great! Worked well with everyone else that we had hired and I never once felt «not listened to».

Great pick for a wedding reception or any event for that matter. My childhood friend tied the knot recently and this was her pick for us to celebrate! The Pritzlaff is in a prime location. Downtown Milwaukee is vibrant and the bustling trendy Third Ward neighborhood is the best part of it all!
Other pluses included the really attractive lighting options and the tons of blank space to add your own personal touch. The building itself just has tons of character and charm. I also liked the outdoor area which is perfect to take in some fresh air in the mix of the celebrations.
The downside was that it’s hard to find (no noticeable sign) including valet. The bartenders were not the best (watered down drinks that were overpriced).
Overall, it’s still a beautiful event space. actually one of the best I’ve seen in the area and a great reception pick.

I was a vendor at the ABCD event at the Prizlaff Building. The venue was incredible, the staff was fantastic and the event was total success. I would highly recommend this venue for any businesses considering a large corporate event or private event. Working with Kara Hansen is amazing and she made the transition into the space easy and everything was set up beautifully. This is a première venue in Milwaukee that shouldn’t be over looked.

Recently I went here for an event & I must say I was intrigued. After driving around for a bit I did notice that it looked like people were walking up steps inside to get into this building so I was wondering since I was in a chair how I was going to get in. After driving around for a bit I found an entrance into the building in the back that was straight in with no steps. I then had to find a parking spot which was very difficult because there were no handicapped parking spots that I saw. I did end up manufacturing my own spot in the back which worked out the best for me. I wheeled up to the building & had to wait for someone to let me in since the door was locked & even after a few attendees looked at me & walked the other way. After I got in I did find out that there is a very nice ramp in the front entrance of the building which I couldn’t see from the outside that made me more at ease. Also, after getting in I was though a bit disappointed, the pics I had seen were much better than the actual product. Although, the history of the building which I heard was very cool & it looks like there still is work in progress being done at this location I would love to check this place out again in the future to see the final product. So the jury is still out on my final rating on this venue.

I attended an event here and really enjoyed it. I love these old warehouses that are brought back to life with cool lighting, music, food and drink. This place has so much versatility for your vision. Large open rooms that are a unique canvas for your ultimate event.
The Pritzlaff building is located just across the river from the Historic Third Ward and it was built in 1875. I read that the space is 26,000 square and can be used as 3 different spaces. I also saw a picture of an outdoor area that looks really cool too.
Our event was really nice. I enjoyed the large open windows of the room located at 333. These windows offered a great view of the city outside (if you could look past the gas station). There were LED lights pointed at the columns to make the beams really stand out. I really enjoyed the second floor loft where the DJ was performing. It put the performer at a cool focal point because you could see them from everywhere and they were not hidden by being at eye level on the first floor.
I also loved the original safe too… the photographer was set up here and was taking some fun photos of the guests. Unfortunately there was no money in here!!!
There is a cool clock that is located near the 325 door. I was talking to the security guard about it and he told me that it use to be outside and it is currently being restored. I thought it was an amazing focal point when you walked in the door. The arms were missing, so I was unable to tell what time it was but I am sure in time it will be up and running again soon.
I can hardly wait to be invited back to my next event here!!!