About Art & History Museums

The seeds of the educational coalition known as the Art & History Museums - Maitland were planted more than seven decades ago when architect J. André Smith founded the Research Studio, an artists' colony that cultivated such creators as Milton Avery, Ralston Crawford, and Doris Lee. The Research Studio eventually became the Maitland Art Center, a place where arts enthusiasts can check out a gallery exhibition, take a class, or practice tilting their berets just right. Next door is the Maitland Historical Museum, where locals will find seasonal exhibitions that tie historical moments to the city of Maitland and Central Florida at large. And that's not all, either. Behind the Historical Museum is the Telephone Museum, showcasing a large collection of working 20th-century telephones and equipment. Further south, you'll find the Waterhouse Residence and Carpentry Shop Museum, a restored home on the shore of Lake Lily that dates back to the late 19th century. Though it once belonged to William H. Waterhouse and his family, it now showcases what life was like for a typical middle-class Victorian family in the early days of Maitland.