Hi Ida,
I was the Supervisory Archivist (and part of the construction management team) during the three-year renovation of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York from 2010-2013. We always kept parts of the museum galleries and our research room operations open throughout the phased renovation. The big take-away lesson that I learned is that you can NEVER have too much signage. Often, the need for signage competes with those who want the site to look as tidy and professional as possible. But the fact is, that no matter how good the signage design and plan is, you will always need more. While a signage plan might make sense to us who are living through the construction day-to-day, chances are it won't to the casual visitor. We found the directional signage to be the biggest challenge. It needs to be clear, large, redundant, and frequent. We often walked the site to observe how visitors were interacting to the signage, and if we saw a problem (or confused looks), we changed right away. And the idea proposed of having greeters is a great one. Our security staff often served this function just out of necessity, but docents inside the galleries are also a good idea.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck!
Bob Clark
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Bob Clark
Director of Archives
Rockefeller Archive Center
Sleepy Hollow, NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2017 08:55 AM
From: Josh Sarver
Subject: Signage during construction
Hi Ida,
Since October 2016 and continuing until November 2017 we have been transitioning from surface lots to an underground parking garage. At the same time, there has been construction of a new museum and road work all around us, while we have construction of new galleries inside our building. It's been a great adventure so far. Attached you will find an example of the signage that we used around the construction site. We have also used lots and lots of wind master signs to direct vehicles and pedestrians to the appropriate locations. Ultimately though, we also invested in greeters who could assist along the pathways. So far we have seen lots of great comments from our members and guests who see and appreciate the efforts.
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Josh Sarver
Sr. Director of Experiences
COSI
Columbus OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-24-2017 03:58 PM
From: Ida McCall
Subject: Signage during construction
Hi all,
In interested in learning about creative and successful examples of signage during a construction project or expansion. I'm with the Kemper Art Museum at Washington University, and beginning this summer, we will be surrounded by a large construction project on our end of campus. The museum will still be open (although a bit difficult to access) and we are working on signage that will let people know we are open and would like visitors. I'd love to hear any stories from similar situations. Thanks very much!
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Ida McCall
Manager of Marketing, Communications & Visitor Services
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
Saint Louis MO
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