The collection consists largely of correspondence among architects, contractors, donors, and university officials, as well as inter-office memos concerning the construction, maintenance, and removal of buildings. Although many of the documents are of a desultory nature, in some instances they provide detailed information about the design of a building and the process by which an idea was transformed into concrete reality. In several cases, these files contain the only record of unrealized building projects.

For the most part, the letters concern the supply of designs and materials in the building process. Unfortunately, many of the letters are represented only in copies in which the sender's name and signature have not been preserved. Also frustrating is the fact that the letters make reference to enclosures that are no longer extant.

The materials within each file are by no means exhaustive, but every major campus building is represented within this collection. The files tend to contain information about particular building or renovation campaigns, and do not cover the life span of the building.