Apr 1, 2025
by
Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation
The Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation is pleased to announce Benjamin Weisgall as the recipient of the 2025 Soane Museum Foundation Graduate Fellowship. This prestigious award will support Weisgall’s academic research during his residency at the Soane Museum, where he will explore the impact of eighteenth-century architectural pattern books on global design.
Weisgall, a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University, will use his time at the Soane Museum to support his doctoral thesis, Pattern Books and the Invention of Architectural Vernaculars in Imperial Britain, 1745-1801. His research focuses on the rise of pattern books—popular publications that made architectural designs accessible to non-professional audiences, including speculative builders and colonial officers. These books played a key role in shaping architectural practices and taste in Britain and its colonies. Weisgall will examine how these books contributed to the development of new architectural vernaculars and how Sir John Soane’s own engagement with pattern books reflected broader debates on commercialization and innovation in architecture. He will also explore Soane’s relationship with Indian design and the influence of Indian antiquities on British architecture and design.
Weisgall is a student member of the SAH and will present his research at the SAH Annual International Conference in Atlanta, April 30-May 4, 2025.
He holds an M.Arch from the Southern California Institute of Architecture and a B.A. in the Science in Society Program from Wesleyan University. His research into eighteenth-century British architectural practices and architectural publishing has been recognized for its interdisciplinary approach and focus on global design exchange.
The Soane Foundation’s Museum Residency Fellowship for graduate students will provide Weisgall with access to the Museum’s extensive library and archives, allowing him to explore these themes in depth and gain new insights into the role of print media in architectural history. To learn more about the Soane Museum Foundation Fellowship Program, visit www.soanefoundation.org.
About the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation
Founded in 1991, the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in New York that is dedicated to promoting the legacy of Sir John Soane, one of Britain’s most influential architects. The Foundation supports academic research, conservation, and educational programs that explore Soane’s contributions to architecture, art, and design, and helps preserve his remarkable house museum in London.
