For years it was the private residence of Sumner and Dudrea Parker, wealthy socialites known for their lavish parties and extensive art collection.
In 1977 it began a 17-year stint as a children's museum, eventually drawing more than 50,000 visitors a year before it closed in September.
Next spring it will reopen briefly as the Baltimore Symphony Associates' 19th annual Decorator Show House, and the exposure may help determine the next use.
The Cloisters, a fortress of a building also known as "the Castle on the Hill," will be made over starting in late February for the month-long event, a fund-raiser for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Now owned by the city of Baltimore, the Byzantine-Gothic-Renaissance-Tudor-style mansion is the centerpiece of a 53-acre estate at 10440 Falls Road in Brooklandville. The three-story residence has more than 30 rooms.
The Symphony Associates, a volunteer support group that sponsors the Show House every year along with many other activities, doesn't usually tackle a publicly owned building. But 1995 Show House chairman Ruth Elseroad said that when she learned The Cloisters might be available, she contacted the city right away.
"I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful for those who have never experienced going to a castle to see one completely decorated?" she said. "The Parkers entertained with great flair. This is a chance to bring the castle back to the 'high life' for all to enjoy."
Trained as an architect and engineer, Sumner Parker was president of a steel firm called Armstrong and Parker for nearly four decades. After he married the former Dudrea Wagner in 1905, he and his wife traveled extensively, collecting antiques, paintings and other works of art from around the world.
Built from 1930 to 1933, The Cloisters was designed by Mr. Parker to display the couple's collection. It takes its name from the covered or cloistered walkway that encloses a rear garden.
The mock castle design was inspired by the medieval French and English architecture the Parkers had seen on their travels. Exterior walls are made of Butler stone. The interior features beautifully carved woodwork and ornamental ironwork.
Mr. Parker died in 1945. Upon her death in 1972, Mrs. Parker bequeathed the estate to the city, and it reopened as a children's museum five years later.
When the museum closed this fall in preparation for its move to Market Place, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said the city would seek to identify a new user for the building who can take advantage of the building's grandeur and semirural location, while honoring the Parkers' request that it remain available "for public use."
Some have suggested that it would be ideal as a conference center or permanent site for wedding receptions and catered events, but no decisions have been made. Because the building lacks an elevator, its upper levels are inaccessible to those in wheelchairs.
The Schmoke administration agreed to allow the estate to be a Show House while the search is under way. The event typically draws more than 20,000 people, providing valuable exposure for the property.
Thirty interior designers and six landscaping teams have signed up to work on the house and grounds. Spaces to be decorated include a chapel, library, nanny's room and "princess' hideaway."
The now-empty mansion will be open to the public on Feb. 25 from noon to 4 p.m. so people can see it before work begins. It will reopen in its decorated state from April 23 to May 21. A preview party has been set for April 21. The bulk of the money raised will benefit the youth music education programs of the BSO.
The city will benefit, too, from the improvements to the grounds and interiors. "We'll redo the floors and the walls, and repair everything that needs to be repaired," Ms. Elseroad said. "It's going to give the Cloisters a wonderful, fresh uplift."
Fireworks preview
Baltimore is mounting two fireworks displays this weekend: ++ the annual one over the Inner Harbor at midnight on New Year's Eve, and a 10-minute "fireworks preview" tomorrow at 6:25 p.m. at the Baltimore Convention Center expansion site on Pratt Street.