This collection documents, though partially, the professional life of architectural and art historian, librarian, and preservationist James Grote Van Derpool (1903-1979). Generally, this collection contains correspondence, office files, printed materials, photographs, slides, literary productions, and legal documents. A large portion of this collection consists of papers that reflect the activities of Van Derpool as "defender of the architectural treasures," including records and papers relating to research done for the National Parks Service. Also in the collection are records of lectures on the history of American architecture given at educational institutions, clubs, societies, business organizations, and religious and cultural group meetings. There are also papers relating to Van Derpool's research on the history of Avery Library at Columbia University and the life and work of Italian architect Leon Battista Alberti. Additionally, there is a group of records of the Advisory Committee of the University of Illinois for the time period when Van Derpool was chairman. Van Derpool's book collection was incorporated into the permanent collection of Avery Library after his death.
Leopold Arnaud was a member of the Columbia University's School of Architecture faculty for 31 years and dean from 1937 to 1960. The collection consist of architectural drawings, correspondence, student photographs, student sketchbooks and papers documenting the 1944-1945 Architectural Competition for Permanent Building Construction at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.