Annapolis

Historic Wayfinding Program

For more than 300 years, this small seaport community has attracted visitors from around the world. The historic Downtown is a hub of activity that centers around the State House and other historic sites, shopping and dining, the City Dock, and the U.S. Naval Academy. MERJE was engaged to develop a master plan for this small, historic city with narrow streets and traffic circles. Focusing on wayfinding issues related to parking, MERJE found that there are plenty of garages in the downtown area, but many were under-utilized. The focus of the wayfinding plan was to get visitors to parking areas, and then guide them to destinations as a pedestrian, where they encounter kiosks with maps and interpretive information. The design of the system took its cues from the architecture, materials and colors of the historic buildings in Downtown Annapolis, where the majority of the wayfinding system is located.