The Sallie Ellis Davis House is available for rentals for group meetings, conferences and events. Please note that this rental fee includes the use of the modern classroom and dining facility and does not include the museum spaces located in the front two rooms of the building. All fees are for a three-hour event. Please see the use policy below for full details.
- External Groups, Regular Business Hours $25
- External Groups, After Hours $50
- Rentals are subject to a $15 per hour security staffing fee.
Rental Use Policy
Sallie Ellis Davis House
Facilities Use Guidelines
Georgia College & State University
Campus Box 092
Milledgeville, GA 31061-0490
Phone: 478-445-4545
Fax: 478-445-3045
Guidelines Approved on June 13, 2012
I. Background and Sallie Ellis Davis House Mission
The Sallie Ellis Davis house is a late-nineteenth century framed structure located at 301 South Clarke Street in Milledgeville, GA. This building served as the primary residence for Sallie Ellis Davis, a leader in Milledgeville’s African American community and educator within the local Eddy School. This structure is a significant resource in the former Eddy neighborhood, a small African American neighborhood within Milledgeville’s Historic District, adjacent to Memory Hill Cemetery and Flagg Chapel.
In 1990, the Sallie Ellis Davis Foundation was formed to promote awareness of the rich history of African Americans within the city. Working with Georgia College and the City of Milledgeville, the foundation began planning to use the house as a history museum and cultural center. Following a devastating fire in the late 1990s, a restoration plan was commissioned by the foundation and the city, and funded by a grant from the United States Department of the Interior. Using this plan, the Davis Foundation in partnership with the GCSU Foundation solicited donations and raised funds to restore the building. Today, the Sallie Ellis Davis House is utilized by Georgia College as a cultural arts center with the goal of preserving and promoting Milledgeville’s rich African American history.
II. Availability of Facilities
The Sallie Ellis Davis House is available year-round with the exception of official university holidays. In general, when the university is in session, the SED House is available for scheduling.
The Sallie Ellis Davis House is also available to the campus for educational purposes. It may also be reserved by university groups (including students, staff, faculty, and administration) for special events, meetings, and receptions. All use of the facility must comply with the university’s facility reservation guidelines found in the GCSU Policy Manual at here. The space should be reserved through through the 25 Live reservation system found at here.
The Sallie Ellis Davis House will be reserved based on the priority system found in the university’s facility reservation policy. Use of the Sallie Ellis Davis House by non-college groups may be permitted after all university needs are met and when it does not interfere with normal college operations, does not cause excessive expenditure of university staff time and other resources, and when it meets facility reservation guidelines. Requests for regular monthly meetings by non-College groups will not be granted during the academic year. Fundraising not associated with Georgia College or the GCSU Foundation is strictly prohibited. No reservations, either by university or community groups, may be considered annual events. Every event must be reserved individually on a space-available basis.
Use of the Sallie Ellis Davis House by non-college groups may entail costs such as rental and service (custodial, Public Safety, catering, or facility supervision) fees. Facility Supervisory Fees are also required under certain circumstances. Please refer to the Campus Fee Schedule for a list of rental fees or costs associated with rental of the house. Rental fees may be partially or completely waived for local and state governmental agencies or non-profit organizations provided the events and organizations meet the applicable criteria and follow the procedural guidelines outlined in the university’s facility reservations policy.
The house has a catering kitchen and dining space and catering is allowed through Sodexo.
The Sallie Ellis Davis House is in a residential neighborhood, so groups using the space must control noise levels to a reasonable level and hour (10 p.m. curfew). No stages or tents are allowed on the property. No changes may be made by users to the structure, exhibits or landscape; and decorations may not be adhered to the walls, doors, or exhibits. No admission-charging events are allowed at the Sallie Ellis Davis House.
Parking is allowed on the street to the front of the house; however, preferred parking is in the designated spaces within the Centennial Center parking lot.
This policy complies with safety regulations for the building, its collections, and its visitors and assures equitable public access.
III. Security Staffing
Use of the Sallie Ellis Davis House after normal operating hours will require security staffing. Normal hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The additional security staffing fee is $15 per hour per staff person.
IV. Fire Codes
Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the Sallie Ellis Davis House or on its grounds. Maximum fire code capacity for the entire building is thirty five (35) people at one time.
V. Photography
Photography and videotaping inside the Sallie Ellis Davis House is restricted. Please consult with the Davis House staff.
VI. Collections
Users of all Davis House facilities are expressly held to the policies and procedures set forth in the building’s collections policy. This policy specifically prohibits the use or movement of any piece in the historic collections without the approval of the Davis House staff.