Further to my earlier post about aluminium windows (in a department store
building), I was involved in a meeting with the local authority last week
during which there was a discussion about interpretation of the two stores
in question.

Questions were raised about major department stores in the UK, but not in
the US.  Yet it seems to me that there are probably some classic examples in
the US as well, particularly say in NY or Chicago.

One of the interesting issues would seem to be that it is all very well
conserving the fabric of these great buildings, but the material which has
the greatest story to tell about the history of the store and the history of
our society is the most ephemeral of all.  Merchandising displays - a
classic example of here today and gone tomorrow.

Anybody with some good examples of operating department stores with good
interactive interpretation of their history?

Current proposals for this project are a three tiered system as follows:

1)  Folded A3 leaflet/brochure freely available at entries to store and
other key interpretive locations which outlines the history of the stores
and key elements.

2)  Enlarged photographs with interpretive text placed adjacent to holding
points on major traffic routes (e.g. top of escalators, next to lifts
(elevators), at entries to store.

3)  Gallery with objets and more detailed interpretive displays.

I'm not involved with this aspect directly, but just casting around for
inspiration.

Cheers

david