PHOTO BY RICK KILBY
The Historical Society of Central Florida (Website), which supports the Orange County Regional History Center (Website), has received a $55,000 grant from The Edward E. Haddock, Jr. Family Foundation to preserve historical collections at Orlando’s Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture (Website).
The Wells’Built Museum occupies the former Wells’Built Hotel in Orlando’s Parramore community, and was established in 1929 by Dr. William Monroe Wells, one of the city’s first African American physicians. During Segregation, the hotel served Black travelers excluded from most other lodging options, hosting guests like Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Jackie Robinson, and Thurgood Marshall.
According to Orange County Regional History Center reps, the grant funds the first phase of a long-term collections stewardship effort. Planned work includes a collection-wide inventory, documentation of material condition, identification of preservation priorities, rehousing vulnerable items in archival-quality storage, and development of a roadmap for future digitization and public access.
“There is something sacred about the work of uncovering stories. Sitting with history, listening carefully, and not allowing voices to fade into silence,” said Rene Vazquez of The Edward E. Haddock, Jr. Family Foundation. “It’s an act of honor, dignity, and love for those who came before and those who came after. We are deeply moved to have been invited into that work.”
“Our partnership with the Orange County Regional History Center is about more than a continued collaboration; it is about a continued commitment,” said Elizabeth Grace of the Wells’Built Museum Board of Directors. “We believe it is our responsibility as stewards to make certain that the precious history we have preserved, and been entrusted with, is not at risk of being lost but instead made more accessible and available.”
“Some of the most important museum work happens behind the scenes,” said Azela Santana, the History Center’s executive director. “By helping the Wells’Built Museum assess and preserve its collections today, we are creating opportunities for future generations to learn from, engage with, and be inspired by these remarkable stories.”
The Orange County Regional History Center is located at 65 E. Central Boulevard [GMap] in downtown Orlando and is a Smithsonian Institution affiliate accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
