It is built of large, random-sized blocks of a native gray and gold colored rock known as Butler stone, with details principally of sandstone, wood from the site, plaster, and wrought iron.

Many structural elements were salvaged from other buildings in the US and Europe, including several items from the Glen Ellen Mansion, which had been near Loch Raven Reservoir.

[2] The main façade is dominated by two asymmetrically placed, projecting sections topped by massive half-timbered gables that were originally part of a Medieval house in Domrémy, France.

The city ran a children's museum in the building until 1996, when it moved to the Inner Harbor area and was renamed Port Discovery.

The Cloisters is currently operated as a rental facility, hosting over 250 weddings, parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, and gatherings per year.