William Whitaker

William Whitaker serves as Curator and Collections Manager of the Architectural Archives at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. Trained in architecture and architectural history at the University of New Mexico and the University of Pennsylvania, he specializes in documenting and interpreting modernist architectural collections, notably those of Louis I. Kahn, Lawrence Halprin, and Robert Venturi/Denise Scott Brown. His work bridges archival preservation, exhibition curation, and scholarly research.

Whitaker has organized over 30 exhibitions, including retrospectives on Antonin and Noemi Raymond (2006), Wharton Esherick (2008), and Anne Griswold Tyng (2011). He co-authored The Houses of Louis I. Kahn (2013) and contributed to Crafting a Modern World: The Architecture and Design of Antonin and Noemi Raymond (2006). His research focuses on 20th-century architectural practices, modernist preservation, and the intersection of design and public space.

• Education: University of New Mexico (Architecture), University of Pennsylvania (Architectural History)

Whitaker’s articles span topics like Kahn’s design processes, Halprin’s environmental workshops, and Venturi/Scott Brown’s urban interventions. He lectures globally on modernist architecture’s legacy, emphasizing archival methodologies and the role of collections in understanding design history.

As a curatorial leader, he has advised major exhibitions including Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture (2012) and Experiments in Environment: The Halprin Workshops (2014). His work highlights the social and cultural dimensions of architectural practice, advocating for interdisciplinary approaches to preservation and design education.