Philadelphia Saving Fund Society (PSFS), the nation's first mutual savings bank, was founded in 1816. In 1927 the Society commissioned Howe and Lescaze, a local architectural firm that had previously designed traditional style banks for the institution, to draw up plans for a new building to be constructed at the corner of 12th and Market Streets. This collection is composed of materials from two Philadelphia mutual savings banks which date from the first half of the nineteenth century. The collection has been divided into two series: Philadelphia Saving Fund Society (PSFS) and Western Savings Fund Society (WSFS) which was merged with PSFS in 1982. A significant part of the collection consists of photographs of bank buildings represented by traditional styles and in later years by contemporary suburban sites. The American banking industry has usually conducted business in formal bank buildings. The styles of these buildings have changed with passing fashions of architectural taste. This collection provides a good visual record of these developments.

The Seagram Company was one of the world's largest alcoholic beverage firms. Completed in 1958 and designed according to the minimalist principles of International Style, the Seagram Building was built of glass and metal, foregoing the stone and brick ornamental facades of preceding buildings. This collection consists of photographs of the Seagram Building in New York City.

The Singer Company was once the world's leading producer of sewing machines that achieved peak domestic and foreign influence by the late nineteenth century. In 1902 the Singer Company began plans to enlarge its headquarters in downtown Manhattan. Ernest Flagg was selected as the architect, and his initial design was for a thirty-five story tower; however, the company decided to almost double its height. The Beaux-Arts style skyscraper, made of red brick and bluestone, was completed in 1908 and stretched to 612 feet. This two sided souvenir shows three photographs of the Singer Building from 1907 to 1908; the reverse side is a longitudinal cross sectional drawing of the tower with engineering and architectural data.