An art and hospitality hub in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood

Walking among the red brick buildings of Nashville‘s Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, classic marker signs honor the city’s manufacturing heritage. Fading painted sock company signage offers glimpses of the story that began there. It is here that Soho House Nashville inhabits the original May Hosiery Mills factory complex. May Hosiery was one of the largest employers in the 1930s, creating jobs for many Jewish refugees that the May family assisted in fleeing Nazi Germany. Operating until the 1980s the factory building then became studio space for artists. Now, with Soho House (which opened in late 2022) becoming part of the narrative, the architectural transformation preserves many historic details and highlights the work of Nashville’s arts community.

“The design and art collection honors the building’s industrial-turned-creative history,” says Soho House Nashville’s art collection manager, Anakena Paddon. “The purpose of the Soho House Nashville collection is to serve as a ‘love letter’ of sorts to the artists and makers of the city across so many different mediums and shine a light on current local talent.” The collection exhibits the works of 41 local artists throughout the building. At every turn, painting, photography, fabric and collage greet members and guests with pieces that shine a light on the prolific output of the local community. 

The art collection features artists born, based or trained in Nashville to showcase the talent of the city. “It is a chance to highlight people who are brilliant fine artists in a city primarily known for its music scene,” says Paddon. “And because of the expansive space of the building and the multi-hyphenate nature of many of the artists, we had the opportunity to acquire multiple pieces from most of the presented artists. This allows for a more meaningful representation of their work, as well as showcasing the evolving nature of an artist’s practice.”

They commissioned Yanira Vissepo’s ethereal “My Heavenly Bodies,” a fabric installation hanging in the Main Club. Lindsy Davis sculptures have been installed in the club stairwell, as well as paintings in the Sock Room. Paintings by John Paul Kesling, from very different eras of his work, range from smaller studies to the large-scale portrait in the reception area. The Soho House acquired some of Blythe Colvin’s early works, and commissioned her to make brand new custom pieces for the bedrooms that coexist with the industrial history of the building and luxurious interior design elements.

A large-scale portrait painting by Kesling titled “Long Neck Lindsy” greets guests at the entrance. This work was also part of a 2021 solo exhibition at the Red Arrow Gallery. “This piece in particular was chosen as it’s a portrait of another of our artists, Lindsy Davis,” says Paddon. ”It felt like a perfect way to set the intention at the guest’s arrival: that this is a creative space, built by creatives for creatives, with art at the crux of its soul.” Red Arrow also supported the collection curation for and helped them forge very relationships with our artists.

After originally being home to artist studios, the building has had several different uses and owners before being transformed back into a hub for artists and creatives. Several of the artists in the collection had had studios in the building during earlier iterations—including Caroline Allison, Yanira Vissepo, David Onri Anderson and Dane Carder. The Soho House Nashville regularly hosts art-focused programming, including an Art Crawl, which coincides with the monthly neighborhood arts crawl. Soho House Member Evan Brown creates art-centric events for the Art Club hosting a series on the business of art, intimate conversations with artists and offsite gallery visits. 

In a city known as a legendary music destination, Soho House has also become a favorite site for musicians to stay, dine, become members and attend music events. “Music is a key part of Soho House Nashville’s culture because it is an integral part of our city,” explains Hunter Claire Rogers, head of membership and communications. “And being in Nashville means we are spoiled for choice with artists writing, recording and performing here. We have enjoyed hosting music that spans all genres, having hosted well-known acts along with artists that are on the brink of being discovered.” Bands play in the Sock Room, Secret Garden and outdoor stages. 

A plush screening room seats about 60 plus people for film and television events, where they hosted a “Barbie” sneak peek and RuPaul’s Drag Race finals. The screening room has a state-of-the-art sound system and is also a popular place to plan record premiere listening parties. 

Guests of the Soho House have access to the member spaces when they reserve one of their 47 bedrooms that feature high ceilings, an array of glass, some with retro vanities or freestanding bathtubs in the main room. Bathrooms are spacious with industrial framed mirrors, large tiled shower rooms, and Soho’s plentiful collection of Cowshed products. Room touches include cocktail-making accessories, art books and vintage accessories. The restaurant, bar and multiple lounge spaces all open to house guests and members. The large gym space features TechnoGym equipment and natural light from the massive industrial windows.

In the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, it’s also easy to catch more live music at Flamingo Cocktail Club across the street. Don’t miss Bastion for their dining room which features tasting menus or hang at their casual bar for cocktails and nachos. Dicey Tavern serves pizza and wings. Gabby’s is the spot for burgers (you may stand in line with people who drove two hours to get their cheeseburger fix). Early morning head over to Dozen Bakery for their standout egg sandwiches, crispy croissants and loaves of freshly baked bread. The area also features beer breweries, a cider house and many places to explore within walking distance before venturing out to Broadway to see the lights and catch a show.