Interpretive Experience Planning & Design on the American Shoreline

October 4, 2020

A discussion about designing educational spaces on the beach

On this episode of NextGen Waterfronts, Dan Martin is joined by Michael Mercadante and Tevere MacFadyen of Main Street Design to discuss the tricks of the trade when it comes to creating interpretive attractions on the American Shoreline. Main Street Design was founded in 1991. Main Street’s two principals, Michael and Tevere, have some 60 years combined experience directing and coordinating all aspects of interpretive planning, design, production, fabrication and installation. Michael and Tevere have a hands-on relationship with the firm’s projects. Tevere directs and supervises the programmatic aspects their work, including interpretive planning and concept development, content research and development, image and artifact selection, and graphic design. Michael assumes primary responsibility for dimensional design, including exhibit and project-related architectural design, and he also monitors project budgets and schedules to ensure compliance with established guidelines.

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Show Transcription
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Dan Martin

Dan Martin, a 21-year veteran and Vice President of Economics Research Associates (ERA), has directed more than 300 land use economics projects over the last 25 years and assisted on many others with Real Estate Research Corporation (RERC) and Cornerstone Development, as well as ERA. Projects include redevelopment strategies, feasibility studies, master plan economics, and economic impact studies. Dan works directly with clients assisting them and their planning teams to determine the best mix of land uses at a site and to determine and project the market demand and financial outcomes for those specific land uses at the site over time. He also has worked on many renewal and repositioning strategies for existing developments and facilities. Dan’s work includes analyses for market segmentation, attendance and revenue by segment, seasonality, and other critical operating assumptions. He uses these assumptions to prepare and update operational pro formas and financial analyses to help clients make tough decisions and pursue capital. Dan’s rich portfolio includes downtown and corridor plans, retail and hospitality feasibility, museums, zoos, theme parks, water parks, resorts, aquariums, destination retail developments, and public parks and recreation facilities in 30 states and provinces across North America and in Asia and the Middle East. This broad range of experience, across many types of facilities helps him work on both simple and complex developments at many different budget levels. In addition, Dan has published extensively on real estate and commercial and cultural attractions, including articles in Fun World, Urban Land, and Planning and has addressed myriad conferences and professional meetings. Dan is a native of Boston and a graduate of the University of Texas – Red McCombs School of Business in Austin, Texas and the Catholic University of America – School of Architecture and Planning in Washington, DC. He lives in the Chicago area with his wife and four children.