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.

This collection includes floor plans, maps, correspondence, reports and press clippings pertaining to Columbia University campuses and buildings. The bulk of the collection is divided by building name; general maps, reports and correspondence relating to the Morningside Heights campus are filed separately.

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.

This general correspondence file offers extensive documentation on Nelson Rockefeller's business, civic, governmental, philanthropic, cultural, and social activities. Major files cover Dartmouth College's Committee on Economic Development, the Council for Inter-American Cooperation, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Institute for International Social Research, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Museum of Primitive Art (MoPA) founded by Rockefeller, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Pan-American Union (Organization of the American States), Rockefeller Center, the United Jewish Appeal, the United Nations, the U.S. government, the Victory Clothing Drive for Overseas Relief, and the Westchester County Board of Health.