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Norman Underwood was the contractor in charge of the construction of the Trinity College Library. The collection consists of receipts and bills made out to Norman Underwood for materials and labor related to the construction of the library on East Campus. There is also some very limited correspondence regarding these bills and receipts, as well as a contract for materials. The majority of the companies and individuals named in the receipts were located in Durham, and included contractors, suppliers, hardware and supply stores, pharmacies, and rail companies; several companies and individuals were located outside Durham, including Raleigh, Goldsboro, Chattanooga, TN, and Atlanta, GA. The receipts and bills detail materials, prices, contractors, and business names used in the construction of the library.

The Physical Plant Department was responsible for maintenance, housekeeping, repairs, and other operations on the Duke University campus. The collection contains general materials concerning university services, facilities, properties and buildings, including floor plans, memos, bus schedules, photographs, reports, and departmental newsletters. It also contains files specific to the Duke University Marine Laboratory, particularly in regard to plans and blueprints for the building of the oceanographic research vessel "Eastward."

The Physical Planning Department was responsible for arranging the construction and renovation of buildings and spaces on the Duke University campus. The collection primarily contains contracts, insurance bonds, and some related correspondence between Duke officials and construction companies and architects who built or renovated campus buildings. One general file consists of status reports on multiple campus building projects in the 1970s, and an estimate and plans for a proposed East Campus Recreation Center written by James A. Ward, University Architect and Director of Physical Planning.

The Operations and Maintenance Department (and the organizations and individuals who preceded the establishment of the department) was responsible for construction and upkeep of Duke University Buildings. The Operations and Maintenance Department Records include correspondence, plans, architectural drawings, blueprints, financial records, contracts, desk diaries, keys, and other materials related to Duke buildings. Prominent individuals represented in the collection include Frank Clyde Brown, S.W. Myatt, and Horace Trumbauer. Major subjects include the building and administration of Duke University, the planning of buildings and grounds on the Duke Campus, and the establishment of the Duke Construction Company to oversee construction on campus. English.

The University Landscape Architect is a position in the Office of Planning and Design, and it oversees the design of all new and restored landscapes on campus. Collection includes studies, proposals, action plans, and guidelines related to the landscape and hardscape of Duke's campus. Materials evaluate the conditions of campus landscape and hardscape, address the feasibility of making changes, propose changes and improvements to be made, and chart courses of action to implement changes. Also included are meeting minutes and notes from the Master Plan Oversight Committee.

The Facilities Management Department (FMD) is responsible for the maintenance, repair and minor alteration of the campus facilities. Collection contains material pertaining to the operations of the Facilities Management Department (FMD) including a 1990/1991 annual report, committee minutes, materials related to the restoration of the stained glass windows in the Chapel, and architectural drawings from the Trumbauer firm of many campus buildings.

Although the exact provenance of the property plats is unknown, it is indicated on the reverse side of some plats that the surveys were used by A. C. Lee, Chief Engineer of the Duke Construction Company and the plats may have been created by the Atlantic Realty Company. This collection includes approximately 100 survey plats of Duke University properties prior to the construction on East Campus and West Campus from the years 1925-1926. Also included are plats representing the Duke Homestead from 1932 that were possibly drawn by V.A. Stewman.