Professor Wunsch (left) and his son, Elias, always liked a challenge, such as this one in England. Courtesy of the family.
October 3, 2024
Aaron Wunsch, 53, of Philadelphia, award-winning architectural historian and preservationist, and Associate Professor in the graduate program of the Department of Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, died Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, of gastric cancer, at his home in Germantown.
An expert on landscape architecture and the documentation of historic architecture, Professor Wunsch made detailed on-site inspections and took deep dives into public and private archives of all kinds to establish the nature and value of old structures. He focused much of his attention on abandoned industrial buildings, old cemeteries, Quaker meeting houses, unique rowhouses in South Philadelphia, and churches all over the city.
Aaron Vickers Wunsch was born Dec. 22, 1970, in Cambridge, Mass. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Haverford College in 1992, master’s degree in architectural history and certificate in historic preservation at the University of Virginia in 1996, and doctorate in architectural history at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2009.
He joined Penn’s Department of Architectural History as a Visiting Assistant Professor in 2008, lectured for the graduate program on historic preservation at the School of Design, and later became an Associate Professor for the graduate program. He was also a cherished member of the graduate group in the History of Art Department in the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn.
He won awards, including in 2023 from the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects for “significant contribution to the preservation of Philadelphia’s built environment.” He also consulted, served on boards, earned grants, ran seminars and conferences, and served fellowships at Penn, Swarthmore College, the Library Company of Philadelphia, and other places.