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The Connors Center

20 Glen St, P. O. Box 577, Dover, Massachusetts 02030
200 Guests

Event Types Welcomed

Adult Social Events
Corporate Social Events
Family Reunions
Professional Meeting / Training / Conference / Retreats
Wedding Ceremonies
Wedding Receptions
Youth Retreat/Camps

Unique Venue Feature

Located in the bucolic town of Dover, Massachusetts, the center’s 80-acre estate offers an unforgettable environment for a variety of events. The 50,000 square-foot facility, with architecturally stunning rooms, outdoor terraces, walking trails and gardens, offers space to reflect and renew.

Grounds at the Connors Center are unmatched. St. Cecilia’s Garden is the plein-air, picturesque centerpiece of the Connors Center. Originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, landscape designers of New York’s Central Park, the garden features a natural stone staircase leading to a birch tree grove lined with fragrant flower beds.

With wooded walking trails, walking paths along the Charles River, formal gardens, and comfortable sitting areas, the Connors Center grounds provide an exceptional setting for your event.

About

A fully-restored, turn-of-the-twentieth-century mansion set on a bucolic 80 acres, Boston College’s Connors Center offers the charms of an old-fashioned estate with the amenities of a modern Dover, Massachusetts conference facility–all less than 20 miles from downtown Boston. With more than 50,000 square feet of event and meeting space boasting both the flexibility and amenities of a premier conference center, the Connors Center provides the perfect backdrop for meetings, conferences, weddings, corporate outings, retreats, and social functions. No function is complete without food service, and the Connors Center provides world-class, on-site dining options with custom created menus that are sure to meet your individual needs and impress your guests.

The venue features a dedicated staff available to support you every step of the way while planning your meeting, conference or social event and provides amenities and resources that include an on-site professional event coordinator, access to wireless internet, guest services, a hospitality suite for visitors, and free parking. As a premier conference center, The Connors Center also provides guests with access to state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment for meetings such as LCD projectors, projector screens, easels, and lectern with microphone in several select meeting rooms.

View a panoramic tour of the grounds

Connors Panoramic Tour

Meeting & Event Spaces

Max Capacity: 200 Guests
Largest Classroom Style: 75
Largest Theatre Style: 160
Largest Seated Reception: 160
Largest Standing Reception: 200
Academic Year Largest Group: yes

Estate Room

The Estate Room, located off the main foyer, provides a light-filled space with updated audio visual equipment for large meetings and conferences. meetings.
  • Ideal for: Opening and closing plenary sessions, large sales meetings, academic symposiums, workshops and trainings, murder mystery dinners, karoke, movement activites, customer appreciation event, team-building dinners
  • Amenities: Ceiling-mounted projector and screen, speakers, wireless handheld and lapel microphones, podium and wireless internet
  • 57' x 31' Sq. Ft.
  • 150 Banquet Style
  • 160 Theatre Style
  • 48 Hollow Square Style

Main Parlor

This magnificent formal parlor features wood paneling, French doors, and a large fireplace. The Main Parlor can be combined with the Dover Parlor and Estate Room for larger receptions, and overlooks a terrace, which can accommodate outdoor receptions.
  • Ideal for:  mid-size board meetings and retreats, sales meetings, conference breakout space, colliquias, team building activities, networking socials, scavenger hunt, book signings, dancing, group yoga
  • Amenities: Ceiling-mounted screen and speakers, mobile LCD projector, wireless handheld and lapel microphones, podium and wireless internet
  • 38' x 23.5' Sq. Ft.
  • 60 Banquet Style
  • 70 Theatre Style
  • 30 Hollow Square Style

Dover Parlor

A grand carved mantle is the focal point of this elegant parlor. Standard furnishings include an upright piano and luxurious furniture. Larger receptions can overflow into a terrace and onto an outdoor patio.
  • Ideal for: board meetings and retreats, breakout space, vendor space
  • Amenities: Mobile screen, speakers and LCD projector, podium and wireless internet
  • 25.5' X 19' Sq. Ft.
  • 30 Banquet Style
  • 35 Theatre Style
  • 45 Conference Style
  • 18 Hollow Square Style

Garden Terrace Room

This bright and airy space features high ceilings and large doors that open onto the expansive grounds. With exceptional light and a cheery color palate, this room is an ideal setting for daytime and evening events.
  • Ideal for board meetings, breakout space, vendor space, social receptions and small dinners
  • Amenities: Mobile screen, speakers and LCD projector, podium and wireless internet
  • 18' X 28' Sq. Ft.
  • 40 Banquet Style
  • 45 Theatre Style
  • 16 Hollow Square Style

Charles River Meeting Room

The Charles River Meeting Room offers fully modern amenities and traditional accents.  The multipurpose space can be configured to serve a broad range of meeting needs.
  • Ideal for: meetings and conferences
  • Amenities: Ceiling-mounted screen, mobile LCD projector and speakers, handheld and lapel microphones, podium and wireless internet.
  • 25' X 53' Sq. Ft.
  • 100 Theatre Style
  • 40 Hollow Square Style

Sun Parlor

The Sun Parlor is ideal for meetings and as a breakout space.  It offers a cozy take on the traditional meeting room.
  • Ideal for: board retreats
  • Amenities: wall-mounted screen, cable TV and wireless internet
  • 29' X 16' Sq. Ft.
  • 20 Conference Style
  • 16 Hollow Square Style

Pavilion

Whether dressed up with white linens for casual elegance or red-checkered tablecloths for a classic cookout, the Pavilion offers a covered, open-air reception space for outings.
  • Ideal for: barbecues, cocktail receptions, dinners
  • Amenities: wireless internet, volleyball court, basketball court, large field with access to croquet, softballs, gloves and numerous outdoor games
  • 26.6' x 62.5' Sq. Ft.
  • 80 Banquet Style

Hospitality Suite

This modern room offers guests an opportunity to rest and relax on soft seating furniture. Many guests take advantage of the outdoor deck attached to the suite, as well as all the complimentary snacks and beverages. 
  • Ideal for: breakout space team-building activities, evening receptions, casual gatherings, evening socials, game nights, active team building games
  • Amenities: 24 hour complimentary snacks and beverages, wireless internet, cable TV, air hockey and foosball, board games
  • 25' x 36' Sq. Ft.

Lower Garden

The expansive Lower Garden affords plenty of space for a large reception tent, positioned adjacent to the archways and stone staircases that make the Connors Center truly distinctive.
  • Ideal for: galas, large social functions, customer appreciation receptions
  • 142' x 53' Sq. Ft.

St. Cecilia's Garden

Originally designed by Olmsted and Vaux, famed landscape designers of New York City’s Central Park, St. Cecilia’s Garden features beautiful fieldstone pathways and picturesque flower beds.
  • Ideal for: large team-building activities, scavenger hunts
  • 69' x58.5' Sq. Ft.

Arched Terrace and Stone Staircases

Among the Center’s most distinctive outdoor spaces, the terraces, stone staircases, and archways lead visitors from the parlors down to the Lower Garden. The stone archways, meandering stone paths, and staircases offer picture-perfect reception spaces for events of any size and type.
  • Ideal for: cocktail receptions
  • 73.5' x 10' Sq. Ft.

Food & Beverage Options

Dining Room

Located on the lower level, this cozy dining space provides guests with a country feel
Seating Capacity: 120

Main Entrance

Our elegant main entrance has two formal parlors leading to outdoor terraces.
Seating Capacity: 90

Pavillion

The perfect space for casual events and picnics. The pavillion is situated next to our recreation area.
Seating Capacity: 60

Front Circle Tented

Set just in front of the main entrance, this space is ideal for formal events.
Seating Capacity: 200

Lower Garden Tented

Situated in the back of the house, this tented space is surrounded by stone arch ways.
Seating Capacity: 500

Estate Room

The Estate Room, which seats up to 150 guests, enjoys an abundance of natural light as well as unobstructed views of the lush woodlands beyond thanks to a floor-to-ceiling window.
Seating Capacity: 150

Accommodations

  • Total Number of Overnight Guests: 100
  • Number of Overnight Rooms: 63
  • Wi-Fi in Guest Rooms: Yes
  • Wi-Fi Guest Room Cost : Free
Overnight Room Attributes
  • Air-conditioned rooms available
  • Business Services
  • Hair dryer
  • Iron
  • Linens Provided
  • Microwave
  • Refrigerator
  • Shampoo
  • Soap
  • Television
  • Towels
  • WiFi

Main House Suite

6 Rooms | 6 Beds

This accommodation has A/C

Guest Wing Suite

21 Rooms | 21 Beds

This accommodation has A/C

Guest Wing Bedroom

36 Rooms | 66 Beds

This accommodation has A/C

Siena House

10 Rooms | 20 Beds

This accommodation has A/C

Featured Amenities

Air Conditioning
Business Center
Fitness Center
In-House Catering
Linens
Near Public Transit
Outdoor Space
Overnight Rooms
Paid Parking
Running Trails
Taxi
Theater Seating
WiFi

Venue Location + Transportation

Address

20 Glen St,

P. O. Box 577,

Dover, Massachusetts 02030

Transportation

Taxi
Lyft
Uber

Nearby Airport

Logan International - 45 minutes

Nearby International Airport

Logan International - 45 minutes

Parking

Parking on Site: Yes

Nearby Cities

Boston – 20
Worcester – 30
Providence – 36

Things to Know

Catering

Must Use In-House Catering: Yes

Cultural Catering Available: Yes

Venue Policies

Alcohol Consumption: Yes

Technology

The Connors Center offers complimentary wireless internet access; built-in audiovisual systems in select meeting rooms; computer stations and a fax, printer, and copier available to all guests.

Guest Wi-Fi: Free

Wi-Fi In Meeting Space: Yes

Equipment Available On-Site:
  • Projector Screen
  • Microphones
  • Sound System

Testimonials

“I wanted to send a note of thanks to the Connors Center’s support of our annual retreat. The Board did an enormous amount of work over the course of the 3 days at the Connors Center to set the Chapter up for success in the coming year. The work done at our retreats services our community so far beyond those days and it’s incredible to have the opportunity to work to work with such an amazing partner – that allowed for the entire board to focus on the matters at hand knowing all the logistical details were taken care of for us. I cannot say enough about the team. They were incredibly accommodating from the moment I walked in the door at 11am on Wednesday to the minute I departed at 2pm on Friday. Every care was taken to ensure we were able to focus on the business at hand and as the incoming President, this was a relief for me. The accommodations were very comfortable and inviting, the catering partners displayed their best efforts and the meeting space left nothing wanting."  

MPINE

 “I have found the Connors Center in Dover, MA to be an extraordinarily beautiful venue to hold seminars in the Greater Boston suburban market. It is elegant and stately, but its amenities are offered at extremely attractive prices, considering its proximity to Boston. The staff is very accommodating and friendly, especially towards seminar guests as they arrive. The affiliation with Boston College lends an additional level of prestige to this venue. I highly recommend the Connors Center for meetings, retreats, seminars and other social functions in the Boston area.”

Brian M.

“In my nine years of involvement with my organization, there has not been a better meeting place than the Connors Center. Thank you for your hospitality, good food, and excellent accommodations. I hope we can return to the center for a future conference.”  

Russell M.

The Connors Center is an incredible treasure for gathering, thinking, reflecting, and praying. The beauty of its facilities is beyond words. So is the quality of professional service on the part of the staff, from the time of envisioning an event to the moment when everyone says goodbye. Without a doubt, the Connors Center is my option number one for meetings and celebrations.

Hosffman O.

The Connors Center has been a home for our Institute program since 2010, they treat us like family and we continue to come back because of that strong relationship. They show tremendous care for each guest and an attention to every detail that makes our programing effortless. Their staff continually go above and beyond to meet our needs and provide the best experience possible. 

Kristen Y.

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At Unique Venues we believe that at the core of being unique is inherent inclusivity. We celebrate the notion that people gather for different reasons and that audiences are filled with humans of every race, gender expression, spiritual belief, sexual orientation, age, political leaning, and more.

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