Bringing the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Museum into the Modern Era



In 2019, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Museum underwent a significant renovation that coincided with the 150th anniversary of the team, with designers and the organization setting out to bring complete, cutting-edge solution and immersion to the 16,000-square-foot facility.

The end result was a truly stunning, modern experience complete with unique storytelling elements, a 360-degree theater, a reverential and impressive Williams Family Championship Gallery, and more.

However, like any project, there were challenges along the way.

In particular, the Williams Family Championship Gallery had large windows that didn’t lend themselves to the desired atmosphere.

Instead of seeing an insurmountable roadblock or settling for a less-than-ideal solution, the project’s team turned to Draper.

Draper provided Digitally Printed FlexShade®️ roller shades, providing account director Aaron Ruef and FRCH Nelson, the firm that designed the space, with an innovative way to ensure they were telling the story they wanted to share with visitors.

“I think the opportunity to create almost these lightboxes in the space that tell a really deeper story … gives you an opportunity to celebrate those in addition to the memorabilia,” Ruef said. “It creates this holistic 360-degree moment of honoring what came before. Of championship. And of what will hopefully come in the future.”

The shades are automated using an IntelliFlex I/O control system and feature Phifer SheerWeave®️ PW3500 fabric in snowy white, providing a truly modern solution ready to serve the museum for years to come.

The final choice to leverage Draper’s shades is indicative of an attitude that truly drives success.

When problems or roadblocks arise, it’s key to think not about how they’ll inhibit the fulfillment of a project’s initial vision, but about how you can adapt to overcome those obstacles and create a new solution – one that might even exceed initial expectations.