What makes a place authentic? Is it the quality of the signage or is it the pure abandon in subject matter?

What makes a place authentic? Is it the quality of the signage or is it the pure abandon in subject matter?
Random brand images
Retail street presence etc.
Museum entrances + wayfinding: the MOMA in NYC, the Branley in Paris, the Spencer-Lawrence,KS; Orsay, Paris; Biennalle, Venice
Scale and repetition can make even the most simple form more interesting.