Aaron Wunsch (1970-2024)

Aaron Wunsch regularly teaches two core courses in the Preservation Department: Documentation I (HSPV 6000) and Introduction to Public History (HSPV 5340). His seminars have focused on key aspects of the American built environment (e.g., therapeutic landscapes, cemeteries, suburbs, and commercial architecture) but are not confined to US topics; he has co-taught interdisciplinary classes on the history of epidemics and on 19th Century Paris and Philadelphia as physical and imagined (literary) landscapes.

Wunsch's publications have addressed such topics as America’s “rural” cemetery movement, the formation of Charlottesville, Virginia's, park system, and the architecture of early electric utilities. The latter are the subject of his book, Palazzos of Power (Princeton Architectural Press), illustrated with photographs by longtime HSPV lecturer Joseph E. B. Elliott. Wunsch has received multiple fellowships, the most recent of which have been at Dumbarton Oaks (Harvard) and Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library.

He is also a strong preservation advocate – efforts recognized by receipt of the 2023 Henry J. Magaziner Award from the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He has served on numerous boards, most notably (and longest) that of The Woodlands, a historic house and cemetery in West Philadelphia. He has also worked extensively with local African-American church congregations to research and restore their buildings. Combined, these efforts demonstrate an ongoing commitment to bridging the divide between academic and “real world” preservation.

Work/Research

5/6/2019 Schuylkill Yards development may rest on the Quaker dead, The Inquirer 
3/28/2019 Abandoned Power Plants, Hank's Take
2/27/2017 Cathedrals of Power: Philadelphia's Abandoned Turbine Halls- in Pictures, The Guardian
12/6/2016 Re-Capturing the Glory of Philadelphia Electric's Central Stations, Hidden City Philadelphia
10/24/2016 The Spectacular Architecture of Early Power Plants, Diana Budd, FastCo Design
10/18/2016 Philadelphia's Abandoned Power Plants Look Like Steampunk Temples, Patrick Sisson, Curbed
10/10/2016 The Layered History of a Queen Village Site Newly Listed on the Register of Historic Places
9/27/2016 The Crisis on Jewelers Row: Mayor Kenney We Need You, Hidden City Philadelphia
12/17/2015 More Losses on the Preservation Front & One Thing That Really Must be Saved, Hidden City Philadelphia 
9/11/2015 Distorted Perceptions Demolished the Levy-Leas Mansion, Hidden City Philadelphia
5/14/2015 At The Eleventh Hour, Seeking a New Accord at 40th & Pine, Hidden City Philadelphia
3/9/2015 - Historic South Philly church finds salvation in group effort - Newsworks
2/12/2015 - PennDesign prof helps save West Philly church from demolition - Penn Current
11/21/2014 - Penn Senior, a Future Doctor, Looks to Medicine’s Past for Insights - Penn News
12/26/2012 - "A Culture of Despair" When It Comes to Preservation In Philadelphia - Plan Philly
11/25/2012 - Landmark Furness Church on the Road to Salvation - Plan Philly
11/6/2012 - 19th Street Baptist & The Challenges That Lie Ahead - Hidden City
12/31/2010 - Building a City of the Dead - Plan Philly
11/15/2010 - 4/29/2011 - Building a City of the Dead: The Creation and Expansion of Philadelphia's Laurel Hill Cemetery. An exhibition presented by The Library Company of Philadelphia & The Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery, guest curated by Aaron Wunsch.