Audubon House and Center History

This house represents a typical veranda bungalow built in the 1920s by a builder named Patterson.  Most houses of this type have now been demolished or intensively renovated, and few examples of this style of architecture remain. Located on the southeast shore of Lake Sybelia, this two story wood frame house sits on 3 acres in Maitland, Florida.  

Maitland is the historic home of Audubon in Florida; the first meeting was held March 2, 1900 in a Dommerich neighborhood home less than two miles away. This first group of Audubon leaders included N.Y. Governor and later U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, Florida's Governor, Rollins College's President, Stetson University's President, and the editors of the state's largest newspapers.

The Florida Audubon Society did not have a permanent home until long-time supporter and Florida Audubon board member, Lisa von Borowsky, purchased this Maitland property in 1959.  The property was one of the last remaining grove homes along the shores of Lake Sybelia.  Once under Audubon ownership, the house served as a meeting place, offices and gift shop. In the 1970s Doris Mager, the gift shop manager, began to care for the sick and injured birds of prey that were brought here by caring members of the community.  After receiving memorial funds from Madelyn Baldwin along with other donations, the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey was opened on October 19, 1979.  Today, this property is the main site for Audubon education programs and offices.

Click here for a featured article on Florida Audubon’s History. Feathered Friends by Leslie Kemp Poole, was included in the Winter Park Magazine (Winter 2018 issue).