Event Rental

Event Rental. The Eudora Welty House & Garden is administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). The Welty garden, side porch, and Visitor Center (VC) are available for rental by organizations and businesses. The Eudora Welty House & Garden will not be available to individuals acting on their own. The Garden and the VC are public areas. Pre-approved signage or demarcations may be used for events that occur in the Garden during regular operating hours, with the understanding that other visitors may be on the grounds. Eudora Welty House & Garden staff are not responsible for monitoring the rental area. A. Application: An organization or business must complete an application (and may be asked to supply bylaws and/or articles of incorporation) to rent space in the Eudora Welty House & Garden. The Event Rental Committee—consisting of the Eudora Welty House & Garden director, the Museum Division event manager, and MDAH sites administrator—must review and approve all requests. Applications must be submitted electronically using the webform on the MDAH website a minimum of sixty (60) calendar days prior to the event. Requests within a shorter timeframe may be denied. B. Contract /Security Deposit: Event reservations are confirmed once the signed contract and the security deposit have been received by the Eudora Welty House & Garden. The security deposit will be refunded after the event and the rented area is returned to its original state. Contracts are valid for fifteen (15) days after issue date. C. Rental Fees: The fee schedule listed on the application has been approved by the MDAH Board of Trustees. Sales tax does apply to all fees. If an organization is exempt from paying sales tax, a copy of the Letter Ruling from the Mississippi Department of Revenue must be submitted with payment (Miss. Code §§ 27-65-111). Other state agencies or organizations that are prohibited by state law from paying fees to MDAH are limited to using the facility only during regular weekday operating hours. Rental fees are invoiced at the time the contract is issued and are due in full thirty (30) calendar days prior to the event. A purchase order is acceptable. The event reservation will be cancelled if payment is not received by the due date. The User will be notified of the cancellation and the security deposit will not be refunded. If the security deposit is paid by credit card, the same card must be used for the rental fee. If the security deposit is paid by check, a credit card may be used for the rental fee. Additional fees determined by NIC (Mississippi State credit card processor) will be applied at the time of check out. A purchase order is an acceptable form of payment. D. Cancellation: If the User sends written notice of cancellation and it is received by the Eudora Welty House & Garden more than thirty (30) calendar days prior to the scheduled event, the User will receive a refund of 75% of the total. Cancellations fewer than 30 working days prior to the event will result in the forfeit of all fees paid. Eudora Welty House & Garden reserves the right to cancel an event if the facility is rendered unsuitable due to unforeseen circumstances, and the user will receive a full refund. E. Public Access: a. The Eudora Welty Garden and Visitor Center are free and open to the public. Tours of the house are offered with an admission fee b. Daytime events may be held during regular operating hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. c. The Eudora Welty House & Garden is closed to the public on Mondays. d. After hours events may be held Tuesday – Saturday, 5 – 9 p.m. e. The VC is handicapped accessible, however the Welty House & Garden may not be accessible to those with physical disabilities. f. The Welty House will remain closed during after hours events.