Considered one of Sullivan's most famous buildings, the Guaranty Building retains many of its original decorative elements designed by the architect. The drawing shows the general outline of the doorknob that was used throughout the building. Yale & Towne, a manufacturer of cast-iron architectural elements, produced the doorknob.

The drawing was part of a group that Sullivan gave to Frank Lloyd Wright, who had worked for him as a young architect. The drawings were purchased for Avery after Wright's death by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., whose family had commissioned Wright's Fallingwater. The doorknob was an extra found at the building and donated to the library.