The hall seats up to 50 people and was designed upon commission for the Nixon family, local arts patrons who wanted a live-in studio for their daughter Milda's piano teacher, Mrs. Alma Kennedy.
The room is paneled in unfinished clear-heart redwood, which contributes to an unusually rich and warm, yet bright and clear acoustic quality.
In 1987, the house was purchased by jazz pianist Dick Whittington, who opened the hall for public recitals.
Concord also recorded 10 jazz duets at Maybeck during the same time period, which the label also released as a series of CDs.
Since 2013, the newly named Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts has continued the tradition of public concerts on Sundays at 3pm during their September–June season.