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.
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.
This collection includes office papers and reference papers related to the professional and civic activities of Louis L. and Nettie S. Horch, the Master Institute of United Arts, the Master Apartments, and the Bloomingdale Neighborhood Conservation Association.
This collection includes original and reprographic architectural, engineering, and interior decoration drawings for the New York Chamber of Commerce building at 65 Liberty Street in New York City. 225 drawings date from the original design and construction of the building in 1901-1902, and 206 date from alterations and additions in 1921. The remaining drawings relate to additonal minor alterations and repairs to the structure, some as late as 1976. A very small amount of correspondence is also included in this collection. There is one drawing by Charles William Clinton for an unidentified building, stamped 1883, that may document an earlier building occupied by the New York Chamber of Commerce.
The Wallace K. Harrison architectural drawings and papers consists of architectural drawings, photographs, correspondence, notes, speeches, manuscripts, press releases, clippings, memoranda, printed material, job lists, curriculam vitae, contracts, articles, and other material related to Harrison's architectural projects. The collection also contains a significant amount of material regarding Harrison's position as director of the Office of Inter-American Affairs, director of planning of the United Nations Headquarters and biographical material. Approximately a third of the collection is made up of photographs. Photographers include Wendy Barrows, Shirley Burden, George Cserna, Y[uzo] Nagata, and Ezra Stoller, among many others. There is also a collection of 148 art books that belonged to Harrison referred to as his "doodle books." A list of these books with brief descriptions of where Harrison drew in them is contained in the finding aid. Projects documented include Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Opera House, Rockefeller Center, Albany Mall (Empire State Plaza), United Nations, X City, ALCOA building, Corning Glass building, First Presbyterian Church, La Guardia Airport, Socony-Mobil building, Battery Park City, Radio City Music Hall, New York World's Fair (1939 and 1964), Institute for Advanced Study, National Academy of Science, Pahlavi National Library Competition, Oberlin College's Hall Auditorium, Pershing Memorial, Rockefeller University, Hopkins Center, The Anchorage, Avila Hotel, and numerous other buildings and residences.