The years between 1780 and 1880 were a time of technical, political, and economic upheaval, which is also reflected in Basel through the buildings and changes in the city's structure that emerged during that period. Architects drew inspiration from the idealized worlds of antiquity, the Middle Ages, and increasingly from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. They stepped out of their rather anonymous roles as builders. This publication presents not only buildings by well-known architects such as Melchior Berri, Amadeus Merian, Christoph Riggenbach, and Johann Jakob Stehlin Jr., but also the works of lesser-known architects from this era. For the first time, the influential patrons of the period between industrialization and the 'Fin de Siècle' are presented in a single volume, highlighting their role as preservers of history during a time of technical and economic progress.