Historic Landmarks & Cultural Destinations
Historic places are more than reminders of the past. They are living assets with the power to educate, inspire, connect communities, and contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of the places they call home.
Elite Attractions specializes in the revitalization, activation, and sustainable operation of historic landmarks, cultural institutions, heritage attractions, and nationally significant destinations.
Our approach recognizes that preservation and progress are not competing priorities. The most successful historic destinations protect what makes them extraordinary while creating compelling new reasons for contemporary audiences to visit, engage, and return.
Preserving the Past. Building the Future.
Historic destinations face challenges unlike those of conventional attractions. Aging infrastructure, preservation requirements, deferred maintenance, complex ownership structures, limited operating resources, and competing stakeholder priorities can make even straightforward improvements difficult to accomplish.
Elite Attractions brings practical executive experience navigating these challenges while developing strategies that balance historic integrity, visitor experience, capital investment, and long-term financial sustainability.
Our work encompasses historic destination revitalization, adaptive reuse, capital planning, preservation advocacy, interpretive attraction development, institutional partnerships, organizational strategy, and the creation of programming that connects historic places with new generations.
We believe preservation succeeds when historic properties remain meaningful, accessible, and actively engaged with the communities around them.
Leadership at Nationally Significant Landmarks
Elite Attractions founder Brian Luallen brings more than two decades of experience developing, operating, and revitalizing major cultural and entertainment destinations, including several of America’s most distinctive historic properties.
Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park | Buffalo, New York
As President and CEO of the Buffalo Naval Park, Brian is leading a comprehensive effort to preserve nationally significant naval heritage assets while repositioning the waterfront campus as a more dynamic regional cultural destination.
Central to this work is a $22 million preservation and drydock program for USS The Sullivans and USS Croaker. The initiative addresses the long-term preservation needs of these historic vessels while supporting a broader strategy for campus revitalization, improved visitor access, expanded educational programming, and financial sustainability.
USS The Sullivans, a National Historic Landmark, represents an extraordinary piece of American naval history. Its preservation requires coordinated advocacy, technical planning, government engagement, fundraising, and sustained institutional leadership.
Beyond preservation, Brian is advancing a long-range campus master plan, stronger integration with Buffalo’s Canalside waterfront, and new attractions and seasonal experiences designed to introduce the Naval Park to broader audiences.
Fair Park | Dallas, Texas
As chief executive of Dallas’s 277-acre Fair Park, a National Historic Landmark and one of the nation’s most significant collections of Art Deco architecture, Brian helped advance a comprehensive vision for the destination’s revitalization and long-term sustainability.
His leadership encompassed historic preservation priorities, capital development, institutional partnerships, public advocacy, community engagement, destination operations, and strategic planning across a complex campus of museums, cultural institutions, recreational facilities, and entertainment venues.
Brian chaired the successful Proposition A campaign committee and helped advocate for more than $400 million in public investment benefiting Fair Park. Major initiatives included improvements to the Cotton Bowl Stadium and the development of a new community park intended to strengthen connections between the historic campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
The work required balancing the needs of historic preservation, public access, community priorities, major events, cultural institutions, and long-term capital investment.
RMS Queen Mary | Long Beach, California
At the legendary RMS Queen Mary, Brian held senior attractions and entertainment leadership responsibilities aboard one of America’s most recognizable historic visitor destinations.
His work included the planning and direction of approximately $5 million in capital improvements, including development of the Ford Theater and a major refresh of the existing Ghosts and Legends attraction.
These initiatives demonstrated how a historic property can accommodate contemporary entertainment and immersive visitor experiences while maintaining the distinctive character that makes it an attraction in its own right.
Surf Ballroom Music Experience Center | Clear Lake, Iowa
Brian’s consulting and attraction development experience also includes the legendary Surf Ballroom, a National Historic Landmark closely associated with some of the most important moments in American popular music history.
His work supported the development of the Music Experience Center and included the creation and opening of Not Fade Away, an immersive attraction connecting visitors with the Surf Ballroom’s musical heritage.
The broader destination initiative demonstrates how cultural interpretation, immersive storytelling, and thoughtful development can expand the relevance and economic impact of a historic landmark while honoring its legacy.
Advocacy, Public-Private Partnerships & Institutional Leadership
Preserving and revitalizing major historic destinations often requires far more than securing funding for individual projects. Success depends on building durable relationships among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, preservation advocates, private-sector partners, donors, community leaders, and the public.
Elite Attractions brings experience in developing these relationships, communicating institutional priorities, building consensus, and advocating for investments that support both preservation and broader community benefit.
Brian’s professional experience includes public funding initiatives, legislative and government engagement, capital campaigns, institutional governance, strategic partnerships, and executive leadership of organizations responsible for complex public-facing cultural assets.
His broader public service includes appointment to the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission and leadership of the Erie County Historical Commission, reflecting a continuing commitment to historic preservation, public history, and the role of cultural institutions in civic life.
We understand that successful partnerships must be built around shared objectives, transparent communication, sound stewardship, and a credible plan for long-term results.
Adaptive Reuse & Contemporary Visitor Experiences
Historic landmarks must remain relevant to survive. Thoughtful adaptation, compelling interpretation, and innovative programming can help institutions reach new audiences without compromising their historic significance.
Elite Attractions brings experience developing immersive exhibits, interpretive environments, seasonal attractions, cultural programming, and entertainment experiences within historic properties.
From Not Fade Away at the Surf Ballroom to Ghosts and Legends aboard the Queen Mary and Nightmare Wharf at the Buffalo Naval Park, Brian’s work demonstrates how storytelling and creative programming can introduce audiences to historic settings in unexpected and memorable ways.
These experiences can expand attendance, extend operating seasons, diversify earned revenue, and strengthen public engagement with the institutions they support.
The Business of Preservation
Historic preservation is ultimately a long-term commitment. Successful institutions must balance stewardship responsibilities with the financial and operational realities of maintaining complex properties and delivering high-quality visitor experiences.
Elite Attractions approaches historic destination development with an understanding of capital needs, operating models, organizational capacity, revenue generation, visitor expectations, and the partnerships necessary to sustain these extraordinary places.
Our objective is not simply to preserve historic assets, but to help ensure that they remain vibrant, valued, and financially sustainable destinations for generations to come.
Honor. Educate. Inspire. Preserve.
