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This collection contains architectural drawings, and some supplementary archival materials, for buildings primarily designed or altered by Sylvan Bien alone or in partnership with his son, Robert L. Bien. Most of the projects represented in this collection are apartment buildings located in New York City, particularly on the Upper East Side, with some work in surrounding regions and states. In several cases, drawings by the original architect for buildings later altered or studied by Bien are also included in this collection. Lastly, a small group of drawings created by Robert Bien while with Eggers Group is also included.

The collection is made up of architectural drawings for various projects undertaken by firms/architects such as Skidmore, Owings& Merrill, Warren Gran & Associates, John Carl Warnecke & Associates, Eggers Group, INC, Carson, Lundin & Shaw, and Alfred Easton Poor during the 1960s to the 1980s. Projects represented in this collection include, among others, 1st City National Bank of Houston, Union Carbide & Carbon Corporation, Pepsi Cola HQ Auditorium, Olympia Centre in Chicago, US Steel Building, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co., International Arrival Wing at JFK Airport, Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, CA and Newport Beach, CA, Foreign Trade Bank of Iran Banking Headquarters, Hilton Casino in Atlantic City, 445 Fifth Avenue, John Hancock Tower in Boston, and the Library of Congress James Madison Memorial Building. The majority of the drawings are blue line prints, however, there are some color renderings.

This collection consists of administrative papers related to the Centennial Celebration organiziational efforts. The collection is made up of 7 series: Departmental Files, The Making of an Architect, Exhibit, Mapping Project, Interviews, Photos, and Bulletins, Brochures, and Books.