A makeover for Baltimore's Cylburn Arboretum
Baltimore's Cylburn Arboretum reopens Saturday with a multi-million-dollar makeover that features a new visitors center, restored gardens and, for the first time ever, parking!
There will be a ribbon-cutting and dedication at 11 a.m. and an afternoon of family and garden activities - plus food - begins at 12:30 p.m.
Closed since the fall of 2008, the post-Civil War Cylburn Mansion will also have composting toilets in its restrooms, geothermal heating and cooling and a newly paved two-lane road to make it easier to enter the 207-acre site from Greenspring Avenue.
But the star of this weekend's show will be the Vollmer Visitor's Center, build into the side of a hill with a "green roof" and interior paneling of natural woods native to Maryland. In addition, a classroom for up to 100 people has been added
Cylburn is a city-owned gem, with 3 1/2 miles of walking trails, but it wasn't very accessible, there was really no place to park and there was no place for visitors to learn about the center and its collection of trees.
That has all been corrected and, in addition to the structural improvements, the gardens at Cylburn have had a major makeover.
Oasis Design Group’s new garden master plan for Cylburn included the renovation of the Formal Garden, a new Flowering Shrub Walk, a new vegetable and demonstration garden, a shade garden, a formal promenade, a "wedding" garden with a new pavilion, other smaller connecting gardens.
The improvements are part of a master plan to restore the 31 acres of formal gardens around the mansion consistent with the original garden from the 1870s.
Comments
Can't wait to go and visit. It truly is hidden gem.
Posted by: NotableM | April 29, 2010 7:37 AM
I'm looking forward to revisiting Cylburn again. For many years we went there yearly, usually on Mother's Day for a quiet afternoon. It's also a great place to take photos. The news about the parking is welcome.
Posted by: ruth | April 29, 2010 1:05 PM
any chance that there will be rental space available for receptions? I visited a couple times and remembered thinking that the mansion has such great character and ambience, it would be really nice to have an intimate reception there and a great way to bring in money for the park.
I think there is. Check on the website...I think I saw something about weddings and such.--Susan
Posted by: Nicole | April 29, 2010 2:39 PM
I remember visiting the mansion when I was in elementary school. The highlight for me (and about the only thing I remember) was the huge plexiglass-walled beehive inside the building. As an inner-city kid, the only other hives I'd ever been exposed to were the wasp nests around my gradnparents' farm in North Carolina. Anyway, I'm glad to see that the City is taking care of the building and the estate. It's a good sign that Baltimore, with all of it's problems, is still a viable city.
Posted by: cabterp | April 29, 2010 3:52 PM
Nicole: My sister had a wonderful outdoor evening wedding and indoor reception there in June '95. It's definitely worth looking into.
Cabterp: Showed the beehive to my daughter years ago. Hope it's still there.
Posted by: Jank | April 29, 2010 8:49 PM
Having Cylburn be "my backyard" was one of the reasons I bought my home ten years ago! It is indeed a city gem. And I thank God they allow leashed dogs. We enjoy it every single week - but I'll leave them at home this weekend! And its great to have a walking path just for walkers/runners. No cars. A fantastic job was done.
Posted by: Sandy C | April 30, 2010 9:20 AM