Windsor Hall is operated by Queen City Performing Arts Development (QCPAD); a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity.
Our Mission:
"To engage the greater Cumberland community in promoting the performing arts through live performance, educational outreach and facilities management".
The QCPAD Board of Trustees consists of an enthusiastic group of individuals with extremely diverse backgrounds ranging from business owners to artists to educators and musicians. All share a love of the arts and a devotion to enriching the cultural life of our community.
QCPAD Board of Trustees
| Frank Fotia | (Events Committee Chairman) |
| Valerie Fritz | (Treasurer) |
| Tom Harrison | |
| David Kauffman | (Chairman) |
| William Mandicott | |
| Becky McClarran | (Public Relations) |
| Rick Michels | |
| Sharon Mike | (Secretary) |
| Ed Mullaney | |
| Jack Parsons | |
| David Romero | (Webmaster) |
| Bryan Wodaski | (Vice Chairman) |
History of the Hall
The property at 37-45 Baltimore Street is one of Baltimore Street's oldest remaining structures. Believed to have been constructed during the late 1850's to early 1860's, the property has been home to numerous commercial tenants including furniture sales, a tea and coffee shop, shoe stores, a cigar shop, camera shop, antique store, bakery, loan office, clothing stores, music stores, pool halls, and jewelry stores. Among its most notable tenants were the J.P. Wiesel Piano & Organ Company, Harvey's Jewelers, and E. V. Coyle Furniture.
Significant modifications have taken place at the property since its original construction. Near the turn of the 20th century, the large picture windows (located on the left half of the second and third floors as viewed from street level) were installed. Each window took the place of two double hung windows that were original to the structure. The building also received an addition that is evidenced by the tin ceiling located in the rear of the Main Hall on the second floor of the building. The second and third floors of the building were used as showroom space for the E.V. Coyle furniture store, and a freight elevator was also added that is not part of the original structure. Additional modifications over the years include connections on all three stories to the property located at 10 S. Mechanic Street.
Over time, and in part due to the many modifications of the structure, the building fell into a state of structural disrepair. Significant settling throughout the structure rendered some of the original windows permanently skewed, and the front facade was in fact pulling away from the original structure. The removal of the building's original stair towers to the upper floors left the expansive upper story space unsuitable for modern usage. Additionally, the 37 Baltimore Street retail location and second and third floor spaces sat vacant for numerous years.
Midson, the limited liability company formed by Ed Mullaney, purchased the structure during the spring of 2003 with hopes to breathe life into the property. During the first year of ownership, Midson renovated the 37 Baltimore Street retail storefront, enabling a mix of office, retail, and bakery to open in 2004. Roof repairs and a full second and third floor cleaning highlighted this first phase of repair. During the fall of 2004, a project to renovate the rear portion of the second floor was undertaken by David and Jennifer Kauffman as an expansion of Kauffman Music, located in the adjacent property. It was at this point that the owners of Kauffman Music worked with Midson in an effort to develop a strategic plan to redevelop the vast upper story space located throughout the structure.
The largest obstacles for development were the numerous structural deficiencies existing in the building. Through the development of several public/private partnerships, enough resources were available to sufficiently stabilize and develop the property so that it could serve a role in the continued revitalization of Downtown Cumberland.
The final plan resulted in the development of the vonGunten Music House. The development features the concert hall of the second floor, improvements to the building's facade, structural reinforcements throughout the structure, the installation of a new elevator, a retail renovation on the first floor, and the addition of three apartments on the third floor. The development strategy was to identify voids and needs in the downtown area and determine how to tie the building in with those needs. The absence of adequate meeting space, along with the lack of sufficient downtown living options rendered the final plan worthwhile of pursuit.
The City of Cumberland's reputation as an arts and entertainment center is rapidly growing, both statewide and regionally. The development of Windsor Hall at Town Centre will serve as a valuable resource in the Cumberland Arts and Entertainment district as well as offer a new venue for meetings and conferences. Windsor Hall is one more jewel in the Queen City's crown.
What's in a Name? From Windsor Hotel to Windsor Hall...
The Windsor Hotel, formerly located at 154 Baltimore Street, was located on the northeast corner of George and Baltimore Street. Built in 1842, and known as the Washington House, its name was changed to the Barnum House prior to the Civil War. 
Historically significant, The Barnum House hosted a reception for President Zachary Taylor in 1849 and held claim to the title as the most distinguished hotel between Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington.
In the year 1865, the hotel experienced great drama during the Civil War. In February of 1865, a band of Confederates known as McNeill's Rangers made a daring raid on Cumberland and entered the city undetected and captured General Benjamin Kelley who was asleep in his bed in the hotel. Union General George Crook was also captured at the nearby Revere House.
Under direction of Captain C.C. Hedges, the Barnum was enlarged in 1883-1884 into a four story building with over 100 guest rooms. A dining room accommodated 150 guests and the remodeling also brought a name change to the hotel now known as the "Windsor."
Matthew J. Mullaney, a Mt. Savage resident, purchased the hotel in 1901 after a successful hotel career at several hotels in Washington, D.C. Known as "M.J.," Mr. Mullaney's renovations included refurbishing guest rooms, interior and exterior painting, and the installing of decorative mosaic tile flooring in the grand lobby.
M. Henry Mullaney, brother of "M.J." and owner of Mullaney Brothers Mercantile in Mount Savage, joined his brother in the hotel business. Upon the death of "M.J." in 1927, M. Henry Mullaney became the proprietor of the hotel aided by his sons, Thomas H., John E. and Hugh A. Mullaney.
The Windsor Hotel boasted fine dining at The White Palace Restaurant operated by Frank Diamond, a six chair barbershop owned by Dave Miller, one of the finest TAP rooms in the city, and a newsstand operated by the Burns and Nolan family.
Being one of the oldest hotels in Cumberland, the building had a seventy foot frontage on Baltimore Street and extended back along George Street two hundred and ten feet to a private alley.
The building was razed in 1959 as a part of Cumberland's Urban Renewal program in Downtown Cumberland. The site is now occupied by M&T Drive-In Bank as well as McDonald's Restaurant.