Cylburn Arboretum

Over the course of a year-long master planning effort, JCLA helped joint stakeholders Cylburn Arboretum Friends (CAF) and Baltimore City Recreation & Parks (BCRP) develop a master plan to guide the creation of new visitor experiences, the development of new visitor reception infrastructure, collections management, preservation of historic structures and investments in gardens operations infrastructure. The master plan was participatory and workshop-based with sustained involvement of an executive leadership team, horticultural staff input and outreach to neighbors and the local garden clubs and naturalist groups that utilize the 200-acre site. This plan aims to expand visibility and public access to Cylburn’s stately collection of specimen trees, its thriving woodlands, its noteworthy Victorian mansion, its romantic gardens, its public events and educational programs. Through proposed adaptive reuse of the existing mansion, gardens and trails, the plan lays out a phased plan with priority actions for preserving what works, restoring what no longer does, and reactivating the site as a whole as a thriving cultural hub and event space—all while keeping budgetary limitations and the need for fundraising in mind.