Victoria Sanger

Victoria “Vicky" Sanger beloved mother of Thomas and Louis, daughter of Linda, sister to Terry, and dear friend to many, passed away on November 6th at the age of 60. Vicky's curiosity and generosity shaped a remarkable life as an architectural historian, professor, musician, and philanthropist. To say that we will miss her hardly captures all that was so vital about her: her bright spirit, bravery, brilliance, savoir-faire, passionate love for her “lads,” and her great delight in all that makes the world sing.

Vicky's intellectual life centered on the study and preservation of the places and traditions she loved. After attending the Dalton School and Harvard University, she earned her doctorate in Art History at Columbia University in 2000 with a dissertation on Vauban, the great military engineer of Louis XIV. She shared her knowledge with students at Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, as well as at the Université de Tours and Reid Hall in Paris. Her writing and teaching explored early modern architecture and cities, particularly maps, fortifications, and the relationship between urban life and military design. In 2007, she curated the exhibition Vauban: bâtisseur du Roi-Soleil at the Cité de l’architecture in Paris and directed the publication of its catalog.

Her commitment to preservation also had a deeply personal dimension. Vicky researched and helped preserve the architectural archives of her grandfather and great-uncle, Harold and Percy Uris. She helped arrange the donation and support of the collection to Columbia’s Avery Library to ensure its conservation and accessibility.

Music held an enduring place in her life. A pianist with a lifelong love of chamber music and singing, she cherished her formative summers at Kinhaven, a music camp in Vermont, and joined its board in 2018. A devoted student throughout her life, she sang with the Collegium Musicum at Harvard and later found great joy in choral singing and even cabaret, with “Cry Me a River” being one of her favorites. She adored musical theater, especially the work of Stephen Sondheim.

Through her involvement with Kinhaven music programs and her philanthropy, she helped sustain institutions and opportunities that mattered to her. A champion of the arts and education, she was a generous supporter of the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Opera, and the American Repertory Theater. Equally close to her heart was the belief that everyone deserves quality health care, which led her to support the Institute for Family Health, whose community health centers in New York City and the Hudson Valley care for patients regardless of their ability to pay.

Vicky gracefully yet passionately embraced her life, her friends, and her work in both Paris and New York.

Hers was a full and generous life, but nothing filled it more than her love for her sons, Louis and Thomas.

She is survived by them; her mother, Linda; her brother, Terry, and a large and loving extended family.

Services 11am on Sunday November 15 at “The Riverside” 76 Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

In lieu of flowers, Thomas and Louis invite donations in her memory to POTS (Part of the Solution), the Bronx community center where the three of them volunteered together. POTS fights hunger and poverty with hot meals, a food pantry, and other essential services (potsbronx.org).

In French or in English, the sentiment remains the same. Vicky, on t’embrasse très fort et on t’adore du fond de nos cœurs. We love you profoundly.

A Funeral Service will be held at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10023, US, on November 15, 2026, at 11:00 am, with a live stream available at https://www.legacycelebrated.com/victoria-sanger/.

Committal will take place at Beth Olam Cemetery, 2 Cypress Hills St, New York, NY 11208, US, on November 15, 2026, at approximately 1:00 pm.