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The Woodlawn Cemetery archive documents the history of the grounds, mausolea, monuments, and operations of Woodlawn Cemetery, founded in 1863 in The Bronx, New York, and one of the largest in the United States. The collection includes architectural designs records, maps, photographs, correspondence, construction and maintenance records, and other historical documents, spanning 140 years of the cemetery's operations.

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.

This collection is made up of architectural drawings, correspondence, specifications, contracts, invoices, minutes, financial statements, patents, advertisements, photographs, photograph album, test results and reports, memoranda, tile samples, factory order cards, and other materials pertaining to The Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company's projects. The dates of the materials span 1866-1985, with bulk dates 1890-1942. The architectural records include structural, decorative, and acoustical sample products and fragments. Also included are materials added to the files by George Collins (1917-1993), Professor of Art History at Columbia University. Prof. Collins secured the donation of this archive in 1963, and remained its custodian until it was transferred to the Drawings and Archives Collection at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library in 1988. The records document Prof. Collins' research efforts, as well as the Company's projects in forty states (including District of Columbia), four Canadian provinces, and eleven other foreign countries.