The Cloisters

Summer A. Parker (1881-1946) and his wife, Dudrea G. Parker (1883-1972) built The Cloisters as a "museum house" in 1932 to showcase their impressive collection of European and American decorative art. The house is a fine example of the Gothic Revival style and incorporates architectural elements the Parkers acquired on their travels. These include the two large, half-timbered gables on the south facade taken from a medieval house in Domremy, France; two early Renaissance carved-stone doors from palazzos in Verona, Italy; several medieval French doors; and fireplace mantels acquired from a chateau in France. Other notable features include the stone balcony with turreted ends above the main entrance; diamond-paned, iron casement windows with pieces of stained glass; two stone circular medallions taken from a 16th-century Venetian house; a projecting octagonal-shaped porch on the east facade with windows featuring Gothic tracery; and a large courtyard. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, the Cloisters now operates as a wedding and event venue.

Summer and Dudrea were born in Baltimore and attended Johns Hopkins University. Summer served as president of the Armstrong and Parker Company which manufactured iron balconies, fences, gates, and other decorative ironwork. Some of the company's ironwork is featured on The Cloisters, such as the four-story spiral interior stair tower and the banister of the library staircase. He also designed the house. Dudrea was a poet, playwright, and author of short stories and belonged to several civic organizations. She also played a large role in designing the house. They had three children, one of whom died as a baby, and several grandchildren.

They chose this site to build The Cloisters since it resembled their favorite area in France. Construction began in 1929 and was completed three years later at a cost of $50,000. They purposely designed the house to resemble a European manor. This included hand-hewing large timbers and letting them sit outside to weather so they would look older before using them to build the house. They filled the house with antique furniture, tapestries, paintings, rugs, porcelain, doll houses, rare manuscripts, and colonial-era heirlooms they had collected on their travels. They opened a part of the house to visitors who entered through the south side where the library is located.

After Summer died in 1946, Dudrea began to stay at the house less frequently (they had usually lived here from late spring to early fall) and the house was largely vacant by the early 1950s. Upon her death in 1972, the house and everything inside was willed to the City of Baltimore. It became a children's museum in 1977 and that operated until the 1990s. It was converted into an event venue and hosted the wedding of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith in 1998. The house has also appeared on TV shows including Homicide, The Wire, and Ace of Cakes, and several movies as well such as Absolute Power. Summer and Dudrea are interred in the family crypt beneath the basement of the house.

"History." The Cloisters. Accessed October 10, 2022. https://www.cloisterscastle.com/about/history.

Weidman, Ms. Gregory. "The Cloisters." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 7, 1979. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-547.pdf.