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 contains reprographic architectural drawings for the Empire State Building; photographs of the demolition of the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which occupied the Fifth Avenue site; photographs of the Empire State Building under construction, circa 1930-1931 (one photograph shows former governor Alfred E. Smith standing in the building during construction), including 232 photographs by photographer Lewis Hine; photographs showing the building after completion, circa 1931-1956; scrapbooks of clippings of articles about the building, 1930-1957; and illustrations of the Empire State Building, circa 1930s-1960s. These subgroups of materials also have records in CLIO with more detailed descriptions of items; for these records, please search under "Empire State Building" or "Shreve, Lamb & Harmon" or "Hine, Lewis Wickes".