We recently discovered these gems from the New York Public Library digital archiving project, which show how much the profession of architecture has changed over the years but also how much has stayed the same. Here are a few favorites:

A storefront façade sketch by Raymond Nicolas, 1929

A storefront façade sketch by Djo Bourgeois, 1929

Savoy Ballroom Floor Plan, 1926

Custom house by John frazee, 1837

Rivington Street Branch Library elevation 1905

Design for an orangerie, j. adley repton, 1808

JL Mott Iron Works, Modern Plumbing Catalog, 1911

JL Mott Iron Works, Modern Plumbing Catalog, 1911

JL Mott Iron Works, Modern Plumbing Catalog, 1877

Demarest’s patent water closet apparatus, 1888