DRAWINGS & ARCHIVES
Avery Library’s Drawings & Archives department collects drawings, photographs, and architectural records documenting architecture and design practices. Our collections focus largely on American and New York City architecture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Major architects and firms whose drawings and records are represented in our archival collections include Louis Sullivan, the Guastavino Company, Emery Roth, Hugh Ferriss, Kahn & Jacobs, Philip Johnson, Gordon Bunshaft, J. Max Bond Jr., Felix Candela, Wallace Harrison, and Max Abramovitz. Our largest collection is the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives. Jointly acquired with The Museum of Modern Art in 2012, it is one of the most comprehensive archives of an American architect.
RESEARCH AND APPOINTMENTS
Research in our collections is by appointment only and conducted in the Drawings & Archives Reading Room. Appointment hours are Tuesday through Friday, 1pm to 4pm.
Appointments can be booked minimum one week in advance.
Click here to find out more about how to request materials and book an appointment.
COLLECTIONS
Our collections include architectural drawings, photographic materials, project and building files, business records, correspondence, and faculty and personal papers. Browse our list of collections, generally arranged by architect or firm name, or search for our collections in Columbia University's library catalog, CLIO, to access archival finding aids and detailed collection catalog records.
CLASSES AND TOURS
We welcome requests from faculty for classes and tours in the archive. Visit our class information page for details and guidelines, and email the Curator of Drawings & Archives, Michelle Jackson-Beckett, with your request: mj3134@columbia.edu.
IMAGING
Avery's Digital Imaging Services will reopen in 2023 for requests for digital photography of special collections materials. Click here for information on how to place an imaging order.
EXHIBITION LOANS
For general information on borrowing collection materials from Columbia University Libraries, please review Guidelines for Borrowing Materials for Exhibition. For Avery-specific deadlines and information, write to the department at avery-drawings@columbia.edu.