Historic Wayfinding Guidelines

HISTORIC WAYFINDING GUIDELINES 3 The Historic Wayfinding Plan is the culmination of a two-year study by the Wayfinding Subcommittee of the City’s Civil War Historical Commission, which consists of citizens appointed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The study utilized the commission’s research from a 2017 effort by Dr. Sam Gant and Mr. Sam Huffman to document all Civil War-related signage in the city limits. This research indicates that a collection of various sign messages exists, with a hodgepodge of colors, messaging, and shapes. Many of the signs are also aging and in poor repair. Additionally, the research shows that the extant signage does not direct to all the historic sites, and it does not provide consistent and clear direction on how to arrive at these sites. The commission created the Wayfinding Sign Subcommittee to vet the signage and to determine where to guide citizens and tourists, where signs are best located to provide this assistance, and how best to brand the signage to create a unique experience of the users. Ultimately, the subcommittee determined that Franklin deserves a Historic Wayfinding Plan that serves its citizens and visitors by directing to all Civil War historic sites in a consistent and accurate manner that is branded and aesthetically pleasing. The subcommittee worked closely with its staff liaison, Amanda Rose, as well as additional Planning & Sustainability staff, Engineering staff, and Streets staff to analyze the existing conditions, determine the most appropriate ways by which to develop a new program to meet all local and state traffic standards, and to design a sign package that is unique, attractive, and affordable. This plan outlines the Purpose and Goals of the wayfinding program, identifies the inefficiencies of the existing signage, provides a brandmark and specifications for new signage that can be produced in-house and installed by City staff in an economical manner, identifies the locations of all existing signage, classifies all signage to remain, and demonstrates the locations of all proposed new signs. Executive Summary