Letter
Dear Dr. Elias:
In its meeting of 15 October, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the signage master plan for the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the National Arboretum and approved the concept submission with the following recommendations.
The Commission recommended that the gray color of the background on the sign panels, used uniformly throughout the exhibits, be slightly warmer to better complement the interior wood finishes. For the building interpretation signs, the Commission recommended that the building name be eliminated from the initial panel to avoid redundancy with the proposed pin-mounted letters of the building name adjacent to the doorways. At the main entry gate, the Commission recommended that the size of the fence-mounted sign be adjusted so that it is not overscaled in relation to the entrance gates themselves and suggested that the sign could be consolidated into a single panel.
In their discussion, the Commission members suggested that the primary wayfinding sign not be suspended between the columns of the arbor and that it could be relocated to the adjacent wall, mounted with the same detailing as the other panel-type signs. They asked that the proposed vinyl decals for the "Welcome" and "Staff Only" signs on the glass door of the Lecture/Demonstration Center be reconsidered, with a more appropriate solution developed for this interchangeable sign that is more refined and consistent with the graphic program.
The Commission requested that you consult with the staff to incorporate these comments into the final signage master plan. As always, the staff is available to assist you with future submissions.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, AIA
Secretary
Dr. Thomas S. Elias, Director
United States National Arboretum
United States Department of Agriculture
3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002-1958
cc: Nancy Luria, National Arboretum
Faye Harwell, Rhodeside & Harwell