This collection includes original and reprographic drawings, photographs, project files and office records documenting the professional life of architectural and theatrical lighting designer Abe Feder. Projects represented are primarily in the continental United States, with additional commissions in Canada, Puerto Rico, and Israel. Also included in this collection are substantial correspondence files and "data books" that record essential project information.

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.

Hugh Ferriss (1889-1962) was an architectural renderer known for his vision of the modern city and his ability to translate vast projects into dramatic but clear-cut images. Ferriss published two books: The Metropolis of Tomorrow (1929) and Power of Buildings (1953). The collection was donated to Avery Library by Ferriss' family after his death, and has been supplemented by several later additions from other sources. 363 original drawings in the collection have been photographed and digitized and can be viewed via links in the finding aid's container listing.

Max Abramovitz (1908-2004) was an American architect, whose firm Harrison & Abramovitz was one of the leading architectural practices in post-war America. Major commissions include Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall and the United Nations complex. The collection contains over 14,500 drawings, over 5,000 photographs, 24 boxes of manuscript material, 7 boxes of oversize material, 23 boxes of financial records, 5 boxes of reprint tear sheets, 36.75 linear feet of specification notebooks, photo albums, sketchbooks, art and artifacts.

Legal contracts between the Owners, Managers, Architects and Builders regarding various aspects of the construction work on Theatre #10 of the Metropolitan Square Development project. The contracts detail what was specifically to be done by the construction crews and what was and was not included in each part of the specified construction process.

Architectural drawings for three projects; photographs of architectural drawings and models; photographs of sites before construction, buildings under construction, and interiors and exteriors of completed buildings; and related clippings. The three projects, with original drawings, arethe McGraw-Hill building, New York, 1929-1934, by Raymond Hood, Godley & Fouilhoux, and alterations, 1942-1944, by Harrison, Fouilhoux, and Abramovitz; Hood's first studies for Rockefeller Center, drawn by Walter Kilham, Jr. in 1929; and the Daily News Building, New York, 1929-1947, by Hood and John M. Howells. Also included are the Chicago Tribune Tower, Chicago (Hood won the competition for the project in 1922 - a photograph of the drawing submitted to the competition by architect Eliel Saarinen is included); photographs of models for Rockefeller Center buildings; and miscellaneous and unrealized projects. Also, two albums containing interior and exterior photographs of completed buildings designed by Hood including his American Radiator building, New York, the Chicago Tribune Tower, and others. Biographical material on Hood includes clippings of obituaries, 1934; photographs of Hood and his family, ca. 1890s-1930s, and travel photographs, early 20th century; clippings of articles by and about Hood; and biographical notes on Hood. Of interest is a photograph by Berenice Abbott of the McGraw-Hill building showing the Sixth Avenue El, demolished in 1940.

The Wallace K. Harrison architectural drawings and papers consists of architectural drawings, photographs, correspondence, notes, speeches, manuscripts, press releases, clippings, memoranda, printed material, job lists, curriculam vitae, contracts, articles, and other material related to Harrison's architectural projects. The collection also contains a significant amount of material regarding Harrison's position as director of the Office of Inter-American Affairs, director of planning of the United Nations Headquarters and biographical material. Approximately a third of the collection is made up of photographs. Photographers include Wendy Barrows, Shirley Burden, George Cserna, Y[uzo] Nagata, and Ezra Stoller, among many others. There is also a collection of 148 art books that belonged to Harrison referred to as his "doodle books." A list of these books with brief descriptions of where Harrison drew in them is contained in the finding aid. Projects documented include Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Opera House, Rockefeller Center, Albany Mall (Empire State Plaza), United Nations, X City, ALCOA building, Corning Glass building, First Presbyterian Church, La Guardia Airport, Socony-Mobil building, Battery Park City, Radio City Music Hall, New York World's Fair (1939 and 1964), Institute for Advanced Study, National Academy of Science, Pahlavi National Library Competition, Oberlin College's Hall Auditorium, Pershing Memorial, Rockefeller University, Hopkins Center, The Anchorage, Avila Hotel, and numerous other buildings and residences.