In 1961, noted American architectural patron, curator and critic Edgar J. Kaufmann, Jr. commissioned the respected Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and his wife, architect Elissa Aalto, to design a suite of meeting areas on the 12th floor of the Institute of International Education’s headquarters in New York City, across from the United Nations complex. Construction began in 1963 and was completed by 1966. The New York architectural firm Harrison & Abramovitz coordinated the design and construction and Artek Oy Ab manufactured the furnishings. Still extant, the Kaufmann Conference Rooms are among only four works completed by Aalto in the United States.

This collection contains original and reprographic correspondence, financial papers, black and white photographs, and reprographic architectural drawings relating to the commissioning, design, and construction of the Kaufmann Conference Rooms in the Institute of International Education’s headquarters in New York City, N.Y., between 1961 and 1966.