Nashville Event space 12 South

A fully-restored home in 12 South rich in history and a lasting legacy of diversity, inclusivity, and patronage to the arts. Welcome to Our House: A place where Oprah danced, Roy Orbison sang, a Nashville Mayor and Civil Rights protestors met and all were welcomed. established in the late 1950s, the house, owned by melvin and hazel king was a social hub for folks in the arts, entertainment and business communities. well known for their social and civic activities, melvin and hazel were artists and entertainers in their own rite: ballroom dance instructors, sculptors, painters, stained glass artists, actors, and educators. beyond their involvement in the arts, universities, and business, they were also very well known for their private gatherings. melvin and hazel loved to entertain and held dinner parties and social gatherings throughout the year including theatre cast parties; parties for companies of touring shows visiting nashville; film and TV wrap parties; parties to highlight openings and dance events; an annual party on the closing night of the tennessee state fair to host grandstand performers, entertainers, and workers; and countless holiday parties. during the holiday season, melvin and hazel would host a half-dozen nightly sit down dinners for up to 50 to honor their art and dance students (and their families) and separate holiday parties for each of hazel’s daily art classes. their annual christmas and new years parties usually saw about 300-400 guests with a 7pm start time and a 6am breakfast. the king’s parties were unique in that they included a racially diverse group of people from all sectors: college faculty and students, business and political leaders, and arts and entertainment personalities. these folks were not only welcomed but treated the same regardless of their profession, age, race, and socio-economic status. some of the stories of the house parties were relayed to the current owners by their son eddie before he passed away in 2018. one story recounts how hazel insisted that LA-based acting coach chambers stevens, who’s parents were good friends of the king’s, not only met but danced with oprah during one of the king’s legendary christmas parties. at another christmas party, during the racial tensions of the 60’s, a couple of family friends who were TSU faculty (then an an exclusively african american university) arrived with a number of TSU students who had been protesting at the courthouse the day before. when the students made their way back to the food table, they came face to face with then mayor beverly briley. one of the students told the mayor that they had been protesting the day prior and had hoped to meet with him about metro hiring practices. the mayor apologized, said he’d been out of town, and that he’d just returned. he then said “we’re here so let’s talk.” finally, bill dees, who wrote songs with roy orbison was one of hazel’s painting students. during one of hazel’s late summer parties, dees and orbison stopped in. they’d been out celebrating their new hit “oh, pretty woman” and some guests asked them to perform it. since a guitar couldn’t be found, dees hummed the melody and improvised the percussion on the dining room table with knives and spoons while orbison sang. as they finished, a guest procured a guitar and they performed it again, although the first version was likely much more memorable. the house has a rich history not found in many current nashville homes and event spaces. we’d love to welcome you to the home, show you around, and tell you more stories - just contact us for more information or to set up a meeting.