Maitland Art Center

Tucked into a quiet residential block just west of downtown Maitland, the Maitland Art Center occupies one of the more unusual pieces of architecture in Central Florida. The property was built between 1937 and 1938 by the artist and architect Jules Andre Smith, who came to Florida after a career that included work as a World War I combat artist for the U.S. Army. Smith designed the compound as an artist colony called the Research Studio, using a personal style he called Fantastic Architecture that draws on Mayan and Aztec motifs cast directly into concrete block walls, courtyards, and fountains. The result is a series of low buildings, chapels, and gardens covered in carved symbols, glyphs, and totem like reliefs that visitors will not find matched anywhere else in the region.

In 2014 the National Park Service designated the site a National Historic Landmark, a status that recognizes places of exceptional significance to the nation rather than a single state or region. That designation makes the Art Center the only National Historic Landmark in the four county greater Orlando area, and it remains one of very few intact examples of Maya Revival architecture open to the public in the Southeast. The site had already been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982.

Today the Maitland Art Center operates as a working museum and cultural campus under the nonprofit Art and History Museums of Maitland. Galleries throughout the original studio buildings rotate contemporary art exhibitions from regional and national artists, and the grounds themselves function as an open air gallery of Smith’s carved concrete work. The organization also runs two juried residency programs that bring working artists to live and produce work on site for extended stays, plus a full slate of art classes and workshops for adults and children covering painting, ceramics, printmaking, and more.

Admission tickets, sold in the lobby of the Art Center, include access to the other museums on the same campus, the Maitland Historical Museum and the Telephone Museum, so a single visit can cover all three. General admission runs six dollars, with discounts for seniors and children, and free entry for college students, active military, veterans, and Art and History members. Maitland residents can visit at no charge after signing up for a complimentary yearly membership at the front desk.

The campus is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and stays open later, until 8 p.m., on the last Wednesday of each month. It is closed Mondays and major holidays. The grounds also host weddings, private events, and an annual art festival that draws artists and shoppers to the surrounding streets. For anyone curious about Florida’s lesser known architectural history, or looking for a changing lineup of contemporary art in an intimate, walkable setting, the Maitland Art Center is worth building into a Central Florida day trip.