Since our founding in 1984, Quinn Evans has innovated forward. Our inspired solutions evolve from diverse expertise in architecture, preservation planning and design, interior design, and landscape architecture. Our roots lie in the preservation, restoration, and revitalization of historic buildings and sites. Our long-standing experience with culturally important sites includes projects that address the big picture issues specific to understanding and engaging with historic landscapes.
QE provides sustainable planning and design solutions that connect people to the heritage of urban and rural places. Our comprehensive understanding of the cultural and natural dimensions of landscapes creates value for clients and resonance for all associated with these unique sites. Our services leverage the dynamism of cultural landscapes to cultivate authentic experiences and meet current needs with harmonious and strategic approaches. From neighborhood revitalization and interpretation of historic sites to the preservation of places significant to indigenous peoples, we strive for enduring stewardship. Our portfolio includes cultural landscape reports, master plans, site designs, maintenance guidelines, historical studies, National Register and National Historical Landmark Nominations, compliance consultation, and collaborative decision-making on projects.

 
Alley Spring Cultural Landscape and Historic Structure Report, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Shannon County, Missouri

The highlight of a visit to the Alley Spring site at Ozark National Scenic Riverways is the historic mill building and spring. NPS requested guidance on improving barrier-free access to the mill in a way that is sensitive to the historic landscape. Careful consideration of the visitor experience and circulation sequence resulted in equitable access to the building for all visitors and adds a viewing deck at the mill race, as well as a barrier-free route around the mill pond.

Iowa Blood Run CLR Master Plan Lyon County, Iowa

The knowledge, perspective, and aspirations of tribal representatives guide a carefully crafted vision for the protection and public use of a sacred Indigenous landscape. The landscape of Blood Run National Historic Landmark is sacred to current members of the Ioway, Omaha, Ponca, Otoe, Missouri, Winnebago, Osage, and Kansa tribal nations, as the home of their ancestors between AD 1500 and 1714. It is significant as the largest and most complex site identified by archeologists as part of the "Oneota" cultural tradition that included a population up to 10,000 occupants. Their mixed economy included agriculture, hunting, gathering, and cultural practices that remain evident in the landscape today. To assist in developing a vision for a new Iowa State Park, our team led a highly collaborative master plan process, engaging tribal advisors and thoughtful integration of indigenous history and culture. The Cultural Landscape Master Plan and Long-Range Interpretation and Education Plan provide comprehensive guidance for future landscape management, interpretation, and stewardship of approximately 3,880 acres. Our work included landscape treatment recommendations that address protection and use of sacred sites. With education an important priority, we also created a hierarchy of messaging to welcome, guide, and teach visitors protocols for appropriate behavior in and share information about the significance of this cherished landscape.

Historic Fort Snelling at Bdote Hennepin County, Minnesota

Project Details : Cultural Landscape Report, Application of Secretary of the Interior's Standards for preservation and rehabilitation of cultural landscapes. Facilitation of stakeholder involvement, particularly American Indian tribes December 2017 - June 2020 QE's leadership in development of the CLR established a collaboration with Indigenous Peoples that extended into the site design and has resulted in a landscape design that integrates plants, spaces, and stories that are important to Minnesota Dakota Indigenous Communities. QE has had multiple roles related to the rehabilitation of the landscape and the Visitor Center at Historic Fort Snelling, where the Minnesota Historical Society is setting a national precedent by revealing the many layers of stories associated with the site. The National Historic Landmark (NHL) is significant for its role in the nation's military history, but also its association with multiple other significance themes, including its profound importance to Indigenous Peoples. The team collaborated with tribal scholars, elders, and preservation officers to develop a document that establishes the site as an indigenous cultural landscape with living, evolving significance to Dakota tribes. This ground-breaking work has been enthusiastically endorsed by the National Park Service and the Minnesota State Historical Society. The work is of primary importance in establishing the appropriateness of the design critical to meeting federal regulations at a National Historic Landmark and allowing these important multicultural design changes.