From the home where Betsy Ross wove the first American flag, to the hosting of the first Continental Congress, to the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia’s sense of history is palpable. Therefore, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania strived to create a highly interactive experience for its building at 1300 Locust St. in Center City Philadelphia. The Society contracted Cloud Gehshan Assoc. (CGA), Philadelphia, to develop an environmental-graphic system for both donor walls, and an electronic display that scrolls through renditions of historical photos and documents.
“In the initial design phase, we asked the Society to provide a handful of images that we’d found on their website’s digital archive,” Stephen Bashore, CGA’s project designer, said. “We presented the concept and provided a template, to which they added 40 more photos.”
To serve the dual purpose of information screen and electronic donor wall, CGA engaged Video Visions, a Trevose, PA-based, video-system integrator, to provide the interactive displays. To create the optimal combination of technology and price, they incorporated an LED-backlit, LCD screen. For the nine-screen (3 x 3) monolith, dynamic-digital sign, Video Visions installed 46-in.-wide NEC X463UN thin-bezel screens; the single-information screens feature 46-in. Samsung ME46C displays. A zoom effect that pans in, out and around the screen provides an eye-grabbing effect. Titan PC provided the computers that direct the program, and Camagine Design (Mt. Holly, NJ) programmed the display templates using Adobe After Effects.
Static and dynamic donor walls in the HSP’s lobby feature glass panels secured by stainless-steel bars, with direct-printed 3M translucent vinyl applied. Urban Sign (Vineland, NJ) fabricated the static donor wall.
“HSP now has a facility that enables it to host members, historians, donors and other patrons in a welcoming environment that allows the Society to showcase its repository of archival, genealogical and historical information,” Bashore said.