Collections : [Avery Drawings & Archives]

This collection primarily contains architectural drawings, photographs, business records and reference materials related to the projects and designs of architectural and engineering firm Abbott, Merkt and Company. A subsidiary portion of the collection includes drawings, photographs and papers related to the life and career of Richard H. Tatlow, III, president of Abbott Merkt, as well as the firms and agencies for which he also worked.

This large collection documents in great detail the architectural projects of Abraham Geller and his colleagues throughout the United States and abroad, spanning the 1940s through the 1990s. Types of projects represented include retirement homes, recreational facilities, medical centers, private residences and prototype dwellings for large residential developments, urban renewal projects, and offices.

This collection contains architectural records, photographs, and professional records and related to the architectural practice of Henry A. Minton and John G. Minton. The majority of the projects are for Henry Minton's chapels, parish halls, schools, gymnasiums, auditoriums, rectories, convents, cemeteries and mausoleums for Roman Catholic parishes. Henry Minton also designed numerous branches for the Bank of Italy and a pre-flight school for the United States Navy. The remainder of his designs consisted of hotels, store buildings, and residences. The large majority of these projects were located in the California Bay Area, with a few elsewhere in California, Nevada, and Utah. Most of the drawings are graphite on tracing paper, the remainder are prints of various types. The project files consist mainly of specifications and proposals for Minton's projects, with a very few photographs. A small group of office records and professional papers complements these project records. Lastly, the collection also includes a smaller number of drawings and files for projects designed by Henry's son, John G. Minton, who continued his father's practice and often contributed additions and alterations to his father's earlier work.

This small collection contains primarily correspondence, itineraries, and papers related to Fitch's publications, travel, and the administration of Columbia University's Historic Preservation program. There are copies and drafts of several articles and reports generated for various organizations authored by Fitch and others (all reports are noted in italics in the spreadsheet). Also included is the unfinished manuscript of Fitch's final book project on American architecture. Of particular note among the reference materials are fifty-two photographs of Richard Neutra's VDL Research House in Los Angeles, some taken by architectural photographer Julius Shulman.

This collection primarily contains materials related to Percy and Harold Uris and their real estate businesses. Correspondence, financial records, and estate papers document the professional and personal lives of the brothers and their wives. The bulk of the business records are from their properties at 380 Madison Avenue and 300 Park Avenue. There is limited information about the other Uris properties and Uris Building Corporation. Finally, the collection contains records from the Uris Brothers Foundation, Inc about the family's philanthropic endeavors.

This small collection of Bach's professional papers contains primarily correspondence and papers related to his consulting work for the American Institute of Interior Designers and his correspondence with UNESCO and other organizations regarding laws against design piracy. The collection also contains correspondence, notes, and clippings concerning his research on industrial design topics, including the value of better design in industry, an ideal industrial design school, and specialized museums serving industries. Also included in the collection are typescripts and published copies of some of Bach's writings and lectures.

This collection contains materials related to Chermayeff's personal, professional, and academic lives, the bulk originating during his residency in the United States, beginning in the late 1930s. Project records document the full range of his work, including many records from his British period. The collection also contains extensive correspondence with personal friends, clients, and professional and academic colleagues.