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Professional and personal papers of the German émigré scholar Paul Oskar Kristeller. Kristeller was a professor of philosophy at Columbia University and a world renowned scholar of Renaissance humanism and Renaissance philosophy who published widely, notably his major catalog of uncataloged manuscripts from the Italian Renaissance, the Iter Italicum.

This collection documents, though partially, the professional life of architectural and art historian, librarian, and preservationist James Grote Van Derpool (1903-1979). Generally, this collection contains correspondence, office files, printed materials, photographs, slides, literary productions, and legal documents. A large portion of this collection consists of papers that reflect the activities of Van Derpool as "defender of the architectural treasures," including records and papers relating to research done for the National Parks Service. Also in the collection are records of lectures on the history of American architecture given at educational institutions, clubs, societies, business organizations, and religious and cultural group meetings. There are also papers relating to Van Derpool's research on the history of Avery Library at Columbia University and the life and work of Italian architect Leon Battista Alberti. Additionally, there is a group of records of the Advisory Committee of the University of Illinois for the time period when Van Derpool was chairman. Van Derpool's book collection was incorporated into the permanent collection of Avery Library after his death.

Charles Adam Platt (1861-1933) was an American architect and landscape designer. Although best remembered today for his landscape and country house designs, he was also nationally known for his etchings, landscape paintings, commercial architecture, and institutional projects. He was largely self-taught in each of these disciplines, building his success on his ability to reconceive the classical tradition in architecture for the needs and desires of his wealthy, powerful clients. This collection contains materials related to Platt's personal and professional lives, the bulk originating from Platt's office in the form of project drawings, photographs, and records documenting architectural projects from 1901-1933.