Research Interests: History of Architecture and Urbanism, Western Europe, 19th Century, Historic Preservation

Sophie Higgerson focuses on the architecture and urbanism of 19th century Western Europe. She is particularly interested in the aesthetic interchange and border space between France and Germany, the role of socio-political identity in architecture and town planning, and contemporary historic preservation schema. She received her Bachelor’s in European Studies and Art History, Phi Beta Kappa from the College of William and Mary (2019), where her senior honors’ thesis focused on the historical underpinnings and theoretical inadequacies behind the 2017 expansion of Strasbourg’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. She has held internships at the École National Supérieure d’Architecture de Strasbourg, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.