The materials that comprise the Vertical File have been collected and added to from a variety of sources by former Avery Librarians. The vertical file contains clippings, pamphlets, reprints, and other miscellaneous materials relating to persons, places, organizations, and topical subjects relating to architecture, housing, and city planning. The purpose of the vertical file was to arrange and store small items, memorabilia, and ephemeral material on a variety of topics to facilitate access by researchers. For the most part, the vertical file contains printed items only. Manuscript material and other unique items were, generally, not placed in the vertical file. In some cases, manuscript material has been removed from the Vertical File and placed in its corresponding collection.

The Bragdon Family Papers are predominantly composed of the personal papers of architect, author, and theater designer Claude Fayette Bragdon but also include those of his parents, sister, wives and children. Included is the correspondence of Claude F. Bragdon with his family and others, including Gelett Burgess, Walter Hampden, Norman Kent, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Kathleen Cunningham, Llewelyn Powys, J.B. Priestley, Nikolai Roerich, Alfred Stieglitz, Peter Uspenskii, John Van Druten, Tennessee Williams, and Frank Lloyd Wright. There are also publications and manuscripts by Bragdon; financial and legal papers; photos of buildings he designed; drawings of stage sets; scores for color music; diaries, 1877-79, 1908-12, 1924-46; scrapbooks; records of the Manas Press; and memorabilia. The correspondence and manuscripts of his sons, Henry W. and Chandler, his father George C. Bragdon, and that of his wives, including the spirit communications of his second wife are included. In addition, the diaries of Kathleen Shipherd Bragdon, 1860-1920; letters and papers of Fayette Shipherd and family; scrapbooks and diaries of May Bragdon; family photographs; and genealogical data; and documents relating to building of Selkirk Bethel Church (Point Ontario, New York, 1848-55) are contained in the collection.

Introduction

The Dryer Architectural Collection of added material is comprised of eight archival boxes and complements the existing collection of the Dryer Architectural Collection (D.242). This added material was uncovered by Robert L. Fitch, grandson of O.W. Dryer when he was cleaning out his grandparents' home.

The collection consists of materials used by Frederick Fried in his research and writing about folk art and material culture, especially related to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. A significant portion of the collection consists of the personal archive of William F. Mangels, which was purchased by Fried in 1955. Mangels was a designer and manufacturer of amusement rides and founder of the American Museum of Public Recreation at Coney Island. Subjects include amusement parks, amusement rides, architecture, bathing pavilions, beaches, beauty contests, carousels, carousel animals, Brooklyn, coin-operated machines, Coney Island, exhibitions, games of chance and skill, hotels, mechanical rides, mechanization, parades, pleasure railways, recreation, roller coasters, sideshows, transportation, and other subjects related to American material culture and popular amusement.

Giuseppe Zambonini (1942-1990) was an Italian-born and New York-based architect, interior designer, theater director, and teacher. This collection contains materials pertaining to Zambonini's architectural and design career, as well as items related to his tenure as dean of the New York School of Interior Design, founder and head of the Open Atelier of Design, and director of the architecture program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dating primarily from the 1960s through the late-1980s, materials in the collection include sketches, drawings, plans, and blueprints of Zambonini's architecture and interior design projects, as well as photographs of the building sites and finished work. Also included are correspondence, photographs, and printed material related to his teaching and administrative career. Zambonini's work as a theater producer and director in Italy is represented by photographs, scripts, audio, and a variety of posters and programs. Finally, the collection contains a small selection of Zambonini's writings and lectures.

The collection consists of correspondence of Harvey Ellis and other Ellis family members; drawings by Harvey Ellis; some records of the H. and C.S. Ellis Architectural Firm; articles and architectural studies clipped from journals by Harvey Ellis; and family members' documents.

Harvey Wiley Corbett (1873-1954) was an American architect primarily active in New York City but also completed projects across the United States and in London. While known for his work on early skyscraper architecture, his work also includes banks, churches, educational campuses, government buildings, housing projects, and large memorial projects like the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (Alexandria, VA). His most well-known projects include Rockefeller Center (Corbett served as a senior architect on the project), the Criminal Courts Building (Centre Street, NY), and Bush Tower (East 42nd Street, NY). Alongside his prolific career, Corbett was also engaged in the theoretical elements of the evolving American city. This can been seen through his commissioning of Hugh Ferriss for the creation of the set of drawings now known as the "Metropolis of Tomorrow," which questioned the results of the contemporary zoning laws of New York City. This collection reflects the breadth of Corbett's work and interests and while it primarily consists of photographs of his many projects, the collection also encompasses a small portion of professional papers and reference material. Beyond the bulk of photographs, there are drawings, correspondence, notes, clippings, postcards, daily calendar entries, a portfolio, photo albums, publications, and financial and legal records.

The collection consists of letters written by Herbert Stern to his family from Harvard, 1902-1907, and from Europe, summer 1904 and summer 1906, as well as office records of the firm Arnold and Stern, 1923-1931, and photographs of projects. Among the clients and projects represented in the office job book are Harold Alling, Thomas R. Stern, Arthur M. Sloman, John D. Pike, Avon Public Library, St. Augustine's Church (Rochester), the Hochstein School, Highland Hospital, Ellwanger and Barry, and Ernest Woodward.

Architectural drawings for projects designed by Vegezzi, and drawings made by Vegezzi while he worked as a draftsman in the offices of Kenneth Franzheim and Allan B. Mills, Associate Arch.; Holabird and Root and Burgee; Benjamin Wistar Morris III; Rosenthal, Dessesls and Jones; Trylon Studios; and particularly McKim, Mead & White (81 drawings, 1923-1942).