Franciscan Preserve is Bringing Historic St. Coletta Campus Back to Life

Stepping foot into the Franciscan Preserve campus is like taking a step back into Jefferson’s history. If you’ve driven down Highway 18 or Y in Jefferson, you’ve likely seen this massive collection of historic buildings. This campus is the old home of St. Coletta of Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of The Event Center at Franciscan Preserve

Each building on this campus has its own story. One of the newest buildings on the campus is The Event Center at Franciscan Preserve. This structure was built in 2002 and was home to Vetro Winery for 15 years. Currently, The Event Center is a fully operating event venue which can host events of up to 150 people.

Earlier this month, The Event Center at Franciscan Preserve hosted the Jefferson County Area Tourism Council for our monthly meeting. During this meeting, we got to see and explore both the indoor and outdoor event spaces. With a full kitchen and bar inside of the building, we see this as the perfect space to hold bridal showers, birthday parties, small weddings, and so much more!

Directly off of the bar area, there is a patio surrounded by grass, trees, and even a small gazebo. Earlier this month, The Event Center hosted their first wedding. The weather was beautiful, the ceremony was set up outside, and it looked absolutely amazing!

After our meeting, we got to speak with the owner, Mark Schiller, to learn about future plans and projects for the Franciscan Preserve. One plan is to develop multiple historic buildings into residential units. Another potential future project is to turn a large barn on top of the hill into another unique event space for larger events (around 300 people).

Photo courtesy of The Event Center at Franciscan Preserve

We could not be more excited to have this business in Jefferson County. Not only is it a beautiful space to hold events, the staff are outstanding and excited to work with you to plan your next event at The Event Center at Franciscan Preserve.

You can follow them on Facebook at The Event Center at Franciscan Preserve, visit their website, or email [email protected] for more information!

If you own a business in the hospitality and/or tourism related industries and are interested in hosting Jefferson County Tourism for one of our monthly meetings, contact [email protected] to get it scheduled.