The Solarium At Historic Scottish Rite

The perfect magical venue for any event! Nestled in downtown Oakhurst, this charming venue is located in one of Decatur’s trendy yet picturesque neighborhood. Surrounded by sort-​after restaurants and one of a kind neighbourhood stores, and let’s not forget beautiful craftsman style homes.
Upon entrance you notice the building is part of what used to be Atlanta’s first children’s hospital the Historic Scottish Rite Hospital. It’s now converted into a mixed work-​offices and is home to Origins Real Estate.
There are hard-​wood floors throughout. The rooms are large and airy with sizeable windows. Huge kitchen with updated appliances if needed. bathrooms are conveniently located for guest and lets not forget ample free parking.

I had our wedding here recently. My experience was awesome! Beth was quick to respond calls and email and accommodating rehearsal. For our budget for less than 1200 for venue it was a perfect price on Friday night in town location! We had a small wedding (60 guest) so we only use half side of building and out door space. I think venue can hold 150 guest seated easy.
In the end of May little back garden and front area was filled with flowers and plants. I love the fact that we can use any caterer/​vender too. Also they have their own chairs and tables!
With very charming historic setting with blank canvas to add your flair, you can’t go wrong with the solarium. I am very happy to have found this place!
Also we purchased a brick to put our date and name inscription installed in courtyard where we got married! I think proceed goes to maintain this historic building but I thought it was a very nice touch!

I had my wedding here back in 06′! Visited today on my anniversary & glad to see many more have used it sense. It was perfect-​affordable & a great experience. I’d do it all over again!

My husband and I recently got married here, and it was truly the best day of our lives! The staff at the Solarium were accommodating and always quick to respond to any questions or concerns we might have had. They were very affordable, and it’s great that they allow you to choose your own vendors. We highly recommend the Solarium for your upcoming wedding, or any big event that you want to celebrate!

Daughters Wedding at the Solarium
My daughter had her wedding ceramony and reception at The Solarium. The location is perfect for a wedding and the staff from begining to end were the best! The ceramony was to take place outside in the garden but a last minute thunderstorm required us to quickly move indoors. The staff was so accommodating and seemed to have one goal only, to make the wedding perfect.
The executve director Nikkia is great and really understands the hospitality business. From our first inspection of the venue, to the day of the event the she was always there to answer our questions and accommidate our needs.
I highly reccomend The Solarium for any event.

We had our wedding and reception here the end of March 2014. It was the perfect setting! We were able to utilize the outside for the ceremony and inside for the bar, buffet, and band! Staff is most helpful with all details! The Solarium is definitely a great place for many occasions!

We had our reception at the Solarium back in August. It offered a decent price, enough room, and proximity to our guests was desirable too. We had to do all of the setup of the tables and chairs, as well as other arrangements. The restrictions on what we could, and could not do were well spelled out, and for an additional $ 100+ we had one of the staff help us clean the place after the event. The parking situation was pretty good, but most people decided to park on the street as the lot behind the building is not that well indicated. Additionally, the 8 hours rental spread across the day is a pain in the butt to arrange as you have to do some initial set up, leave, set up some more, have your event, then take down the stuff. Therefore you have to organize all of your travels to and from the Solarium. This makes it difficult when you have a party of helpers traveling from different parts of town, having to deal with the traffic.

We had our wedding — ceremony and reception — here and it couldn’t have been more perfect! On a tight budget, wanting something family friendly, in Decatur, and a blank slate to decorate to our needs, the Solarium was the perfect venue! Everyone raved about the easy to find location and the beautiful open space. Working with Nikkia, Beth, and Monica were great — they were super responsive anytime I emailed or called with my million questions and were patient, polite, and professional! Our out of town guests hung out at the shops and restaurants in the Oakhurst neighborhood and just had a great time before and after the wedding. It was just so perfect and I’m so glad we got to have our wedding there!

I had my wedding here on 3÷16÷13. We chose the venue because the size was perfect, the price was right, and the ability to choose whatever food and alcohol to serve was fantastic!
The staff was super helpful — Nikkia gave us our tour, showed us a book of photos demonstrating how other weddings had been set up, Beth and Nikkia both answered emails and helped with the contract, etc. Things went off mostly without a hitch the day of. We really appreciated Melissa being there throughout the event, and helping some of our guests find taxis to get home safely.
I agree that the room that is available for getting ready is not in the best shape. Hopefully this will get improved. The bathrooms are clean and nice though, and they’ve recently refinished the hardwoods throughout the venue, which looks really awesome. And Oakhurst is so nice. We got some great photos in places around the Solarium that day.

I attended a reception here for my old roommate in 2010. She had gotten married the year before but hadn’t had a chance to do a reception since she’d moved out of the country almost immediately after. It turned out to be a fateful night as I ended up meeting my boyfriend of 2+ years a few hours after this event.
She had the catering and the whole event to be a laid back atmosphere (Catering from Fox bros) and I liked the different rooms. It was quite beautiful, from the atmosphere, the setting, the tables, wood floors, everything. It wasn’t that hard to find either, and there was plenty of parking on the street as well. It’s also in a safe neighborhood which was good because I ended up leaving my car overnight.
I don’t know the details of staff or catering since I was just a guest. But as a guest it was a very nice, cozy space to catch up with friends and meet new ones. If I had to describe it in 2 words– Beautiful and classy.

My company had our Christmas party here, and it was a lovely location I almost wished we had booked for our wedding! Decent parking, lovely rooms, outdoor tents, nice grounds. I would definitely recommend it for anyone planning a decent-​sized event!

I LOVE the Solarium! I had my wedding reception here (as Emily K mentioned) and was thrilled with the experience. Not only was the space gorgeous and easy to work with, but they don’t have preferred caterers (which keeps the cost down) and the staff is so friendly and flexible.
I’ve also worked a wedding here as a coordinator and was pleased with the staff in general. There was one problem where a staff member accidentally interrupted the ceremony… but it was only noticeable for the back two rows and they quickly remedied the situation.
It is generally DIY, however if you’re willing to pay a fee they will break down and clean up for you. Since it’s so popular, most local catering companies are familiar with the space and its limitations/​quirks.

The Solarium is a wonderful place to have and event like a small wedding. The maximum capacity is around 90 or 100, especially if you’re having the ceremony inside. It’s got great natural light and a pretty color palate.
I only had two issues with their event service. 1. I wish they recycled. My wedding was three years ago, so maybe they do now. I had to ask a couple of friends to help me with recycling so that all of the glass and plastic wouldn’t go into the garbage. 2. I wish they would clean up the bride’s room a little. This is the main room for the bride to get ready, and it’s usually a mess. They call it the «art room» and wouldn’t really help to de-​clutter it for photos.
Still, even with these issues, it’s a great value for an in-​town location and it’s a beautiful part of Decatur’s history. I love to shoot there, too!

Very nice and expansive venue for an event – art show, wedding and/​or reception, bridal/​baby shower, charity auction, etc.
The rooms are spacious with plenty of windows, allowing a lot of natural light to filter in.
The event I attended here used the interior rooms, stretching the width of the building as the art display rooms. Food and beverages were posted at several stations along the front rooms, also stretching the width of the building. The way the rooms are set up provides a lot of options for traffic flow around stations, no matter what the event is.
Also, the location is just a block from the restaurants and shops of the emerging Oakhurst neighborhood.

The Solarium is a great venue! My wife and I used it as the site of our wedding rehearsal dinner. The rental prices are better than most other venues, especially if you are a Decatur resident.
The space is a former Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital. There are two very large wings to the right and left of the entrance lobby. There is a lot of space and you can decorate the space any way you like — including change the photos/​paintings on the wall! You can bring in your own food/​drinks or hire any caterer you want… no restrictions.
The staff were extremely friendly and flexible. Plenty of parking behind the building.
I have seen people rent this space for 50^th birthday parties, weddings, community events, etc. They recently had a big boutique /​junk sale (called «junktique») there, which is an annual event.
Definitely consider this venue if you need some cheaper but still classy rental space. I would definitely go back!

My friend had her wedding reception here this afternoon and it was great. I was part of the crew that helped set it up and everything was well organized. The whole thing is do it yourself, which allows for a good bit of creative freedom, unlike some event venues. The space was the perfect size for the number of guests and allowed for all the seating, dancing space, and food space necessary. The high ceilings and windows allowed for some very pretty pictures to be taken.
It can be a little hard to find if you aren’t familiar with the area, but that’s really the only issue. There’s plenty of parking both on the street and in the back of the building. You’re also expected to break it all down, though there was talk of them doing it for a fee. Couldn’t confirm that for sure, though.

This place is really cool; it’s the former Scottish Rite Hospital.
I’ve been to two events within the past week (after having never even BEEN to Oakhurst as a life long Atlanta native) here and have enjoyed them a lot. It’s got a very neighborhoody «feel» and at least APPEARS safe. We plan on coming back and checking out the surrounding venues as they look to be at least as cool as this place is.
Description: big airy rooms with high ceilings and tons of windows. Strikes me as a good place to have a reception (went to a non-profit’s thing one night).