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More than 120 architects from the United States and abroad contributed original drawings to this collection. Most are hand-drawn; some are printed through traditional etching or lithography techniques; a few others are computer-generated prints. Images are primarily related to the architects' projects, although some drawings are travel sketches of other structures. Drawings in this archive were exhibited at the Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery and the Arthur Ross Gallery at Columbia University, Apr. 3-May 4, 1991. At least one drawing from each contributor was published in the accompanying exhibition catalog, CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (San Francisco: Pomegranate Artbooks, 1991).

Collection consists of sixty original architectural and furniture drawings for Lever House in New York City, drawn between 1950 and 1952. Most sheet are graphite on paper, with a smaller group of sepia diazo prints with extensive graphite annotations. All sheets were treated by a paper conservator and are now encapsulated in polyester film.

A 1956 proposal drafted by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for the Union Carbide Building, a historically significant, mid-twentieth century office tower located at 270 Park Avenue, just north of Grand Central Station. The proposal consists of reproductions of plan and elevation drawings and photographs of the Union Carbide model, together with outline specifications, cost estimates, and construction and drawing schedules.

This collection primarily includes black and white and color photographic prints of approximately 100 buildings designed by the American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in locations throughout the United States, circa 1945-1969.

An unpublished manuscript by William S. Brown titled "SOM: The Formative Years." The manuscript, a 400-page typescript with holograph annotations throughout, was written between 1979-1983. The manuscript is incomplete, missing various pages sections.