The collection consists of personal and professional papers of the architect Edward H. Bennett. The collection is arranged into two series. Series 1 includes correspondence, drafts, and plans from throughout Bennett's career. The most significant part of the collection is the correspondence between Daniel Burnham and Bennett, that reveals some of Burnham's thoughts regarding the 1909 Plan of Chicago. There are letters with other professional colleagues as well. The photographs span both  the professional and personal realms, including many photographs of three generations of the Bennett family and many photographs Bennett took or acquired to inform his architectural projects. There are several sketchbooks and scrapbooks and also several books of study photographs.

The collection includes sketches completed by architecture students in Lake Forest IL. Sketches include Lake Forest structures and European structures. The collection also includes a binder of photocopies by laws, founding documents, and minutes from the Foundation for Architecture and Landscape Architecture.