Society of Architectural Historians

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The Society of Architectural Historians, (SAH), is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide.

Based in the United States, the Society’s 3,500 members include architectural historians, architects, landscape architects, preservationists, students, professionals in allied fields and the interested public.

The Society, originally named the Society of American Architectural Historians was founded on July 31, 1940, inspired by the work of Harvard historian Kenneth John Conant. Twenty-five chartering members elected Turpin Bannister the first President, and directed him to edit a Journal of the American Society of Architectural Historians^[1]. The name was shortened to its current form a decade later. SAH is currently the largest academic organization in the field of architectural history in the US.

As part of their mission to "advance knowledge and understanding of the history of architecture, design, landscape, and urbanism worldwide"^[1], they publish several works, most noticeably the Buildings of the United States series, as well as a newsletter and the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. The Society also gives numerous awards recognizing new books, new catalogues, and similar new contributions to the study of architectural history.

A similar organization is found in Great Britain, the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain.