ConsultEcon Management & Economic Insight

Museums are important to a community’s cultural, educational and economic well being.  ConsultEcon is proud to be a member of the museum community and provide market, economic, business and planning services to create successful new museums and support existing museums to remain economically vital while maximizing community benefits, mission achievement, and their market potential.

 

Historic Sites

Gettysburg National Military Park:  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Evaluated master plan elements proposed for the continued development of this important National Military Park.  Our work focused on various plan alternatives presented in the General Management Plan, and planning for a new visitor center proposed for the Park, to be developed by a public – private partnership.  The plan is being implemented and a new visitor center opened in 2008.


Freedom Trail:  Boston, Massachusetts
Prepared key elements of the Master Plan, including working with the individual Freedom Trail sites from a market development perspective.  Also included were primary visitor use surveys that focused on various aspects of the visitor experience.  Non-visitor’s surveys provided a perspective on how to increase visitation.  This work has resulted in significant new investments in the Freedom Trail, and the plan for a new visitor interpretive center for the Freedom Trail. 


Palace of Governors/New Mexico History Museum:  Santa Fe, New Mexico
Prepared a business plan outline and strategies for market and operating success for a comprehensive New Mexico History Museum to be added to the historic Palace of Governors.


Canoa Ranch:  Green Valley, Arizona
Prepared the project market and feasibility elements of the master plan as well as components of the implementation strategy.  This included background evaluation, analysis of development opportunities, alternative concepts development, and evaluation of the preferred alternative, as well facility operating characteristics as input to the business plan.


Old South Meeting House:  Boston, Massachusetts
Provided economic analyses related to the preservation work and the commercial tenants of this important Boston historical site.


Jamestown Master Plan:  Jamestown, Virginia
Evaluated the potential for increased visitation as part of a master plan conducted by the National Park Service in conjunction with the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.  Planning was coordinated to support the 400th Anniversary Celebration in 2007.


Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark:  Birmingham, Alabama
Conducted a market and operating analysis as part of the Master Plan for Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.  This analysis estimated the annual attendance potential for Sloss Furnaces upon implementation of the Master Plan as well as the operating characteristics of the expanded museum and events facility.


Saratoga National Historical Park:  Saratoga, New York
Prepared the economic components of the General Management Plan for this National Park, focusing on an analysis of locations for visitor interpretive centers.


American Revolution Center:  Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Prepared a comparison of the visitor experience at two locations considered for the American Revolution Center adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park and at an in-holding parcel adjacent to the park.


Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Center:  Port Byron, New York
Provided a market analysis for this proposed project for the Canal Society of New York State. This project includes an educational and interpretive center based around several historic structures, the Old Erie Canal Lock 52 and the 1895 Canal Tavern "the Erie House."


Foundry Cove Heritage Preserve:  Cold Spring, New York
Evaluated this project for Scenic Hudson Land Trust. This included preservation of the West Point Foundry administration building along with other site remains to create a visitor center and an historic interpretive park.


Steam Pump Ranch Heritage Park:  Oro Valley, Arizona
Prepared the economic analysis component of a master plan for historic Steam Pump Ranch. The challenges were to retain the historic elements and landscape of the site while identifying new sustainable uses for the property and historic structures, thereby preserving site heritage and developing Steam Pump Ranch into a community resource.  Our work on this project included elements of economic master planning, market and financial feasibility and implementation strategies.