BALTIMORE, MD.- 1 West Mount Vernon Place, the Walters Art Museum’s awe-inspiring 19th-century mansion, opened on Saturday, June 16, after a multi-year transformation. Located in the heart of Mount Vernon, 1 West offers visitors exciting new ways to experience the Walters’ renowned collection in one of Baltimore’s most distinctive and spectacular buildings.

“With the reopening of 1 West Mount Vernon Place, we are thrilled to showcase the Walters in new ways,” says Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director. “This project represents the next step in the museum’s evolution as a place where we can collaborate with the public to create exceptional experiences that are accessible to a wide range of audiences.”

“Through extensive new research we uncovered a rich and unique assemblage of stories that reach from the early history of the United States to the present moment,” says Eleanor Hughes, Deputy Director for Art & Program and the curator of the project. “While they are the stories of individuals, they resonate so strongly with broader issues and themes that we began to see the story of 1 West as a micro-history of Baltimore and the nation.”

Nineteenth-century paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts are featured on the first floor of the house alongside new works commissioned by the Walters from acclaimed ceramicist Roberto Lugo. Lugo’s art is inspired by specific works in the Walters collection and reflects his experiences as an artist of color. The display in the home’s dining room includes a letter written by Sybby Grant, the enslaved cook of the Thomas family, who were 1 West’s original owners. Grant wrote the letter to Dr. John Hanson Thomas during the Civil War, when he was imprisoned for his secessionist activities.

On the second floor, an installation gathers ceramics from across the Walters’ collection. It also features a community art project, led by Baltimore ceramicist and educator Herb Massie and Jubilee Arts, that incorporates over 200 plates made by members of the Baltimore community, as well as a video installation created in collaboration with faculty and students at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Visitors can also create their own experience in Studio 1 West, a “maker space” where people of all ages can fashion and display their own works of art. And to enhance visitors’ experience of the home, the Walters created a free, ditigal app (available June 15) that can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

1 West was given to the City of Baltimore in 1984, through an arrangement made possible by an extraordinary donation from Baltimore businessman and philanthropist Willard Hackerman. Following a competition held to determine the building’s use, the house opened as part of the Walters Art Museum in 1991.

Marks, Thomas Architects was the architect of record for the project. Lewis Contractors was the general contractor. Design/interiors by R+A+M Design Studio. The project manager and owner’s representative was Regan Associates, LLC. Trivium designed the digital app. Additional firms that worked on the project include Fireline Corporation, fire protection; Flux Design, lighting; Mueller Associates, Inc., M/E/P engineer; and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., building envelope.