Collections : [Avery Drawings & Archives]

Contains documents regarding Ruth Uris's personal finances. Includes investment account summaries, paid invoices, tax returns, bank statements, accounting work sheets, correspondence, bound ledgers, checkbook stubs, and other monetary records. These records were primarily generated by the banks, accountants, and other financial institutions handling Ruth Uris's assets and expenses from 1976 to 1996.

Comprised of correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and other papers related to Joanne Uris's estate. The correspondence discusses the resolution of Joanne's estate including sale of properties, dispersal of estate assets, and giving of legacies to various people and organizations. The financial records document the payments of household expenses, estate bills, and taxes. There are also bank statements from the executors account, house account, custody account and trust account at Irving Trust Company. Probate papers and other legal documents from 1985 to 1987 describe the execution of the will and subsequent operations of the estate. Also included are appraisals of artwork, antiques, rugs, furniture, and other items owned by Joanne Uris.

The financial records are comprised of financial reports, tax documents, commission files, escalation records, office administration accounts, and supporting materials. These documents offer fiscal information on several Uris business endeavors, including 300 Park Avenue, 380 Madison Avenue, 485 Lexington Avenue, and 750 Third Avenue. Occasionally, the records contain figures for the Uris Brothers Foundation and family member trusts. Audits, balance sheets, budgets, collection statements, and weekly reports demonstrate the general performance of these ventures. Several files contain publications, forms, instructions, and correspondence for federal, state, and city taxes. There are also tentative assessment valuations and applications for reductions for Real Estate taxes. The commission records for various tenants have agreements, bills, and correspondence with brokerage firms. Calculation worksheets, correspondence, and sample lease clauses detail how escalations for electricity, labor, and real estate taxes were determined and then passed on to the tenants. The rest of the financial records describe the costs associated with office administration and professional services shared by different corporate entities. Inclusive office operating expenses and bank accounts are presented in memorandums, reimbursement records, lists, and forms. Additional correspondence, agreements, and accounting worksheets calculate the fees spent on attorneys, accountants, insurance, bank accounts, and tenant management.

This section consists of financial records generated primarily by the firms of Harrison & Abramovitz and Abramovitz - Harris - Kingsland. The records span the years 1948-1987 and cover approximately 240 projects. All the boxes were labeled Accounting Dept. and numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 14 (there was no box 4, 6, or 11).

Other than contracts, financial estimates, costs and fee and statements, the Records sub-series includes mainly correspondences between architects, owner (the Cabinet of Shams Pahlavi), clerk of works (Tom Casey), associate architect (Nezam Amery), contractors, consultants and suppliers. A few photos, some hand-drawn furniture designs and Christmas card designs are also documented in the records. Two construction logbooks included in the collection recorded the day-by-day activities on the construction site from 1969 to 1973. Last part of the records is the documentation of the litigation process after 1979 when the royal family fled to the United States without settling their accounts with TAA. The lawsuit involves the accounts for both Pearl Palace and the Mehrafarin Villa. The content of each folder in this series is ordered chronologically.

Contains materials for one of Darden's earlier works, which was submitted to the "From Here to Eternity" exhibition. This project set up an allegorical museum dedicated to historical American impostors. Situated in the Baltimore Harbor Water Gap, the project research included in this subseries concentrates on nearby historical sites and figures, such as Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key, the Lazaretto, Interstate Highway 95, and the Lehigh Cement Factory. Also included is the semi-fictionalized account of Sarah Wilson, along with notes and drafts, and a few drawings.