The Neal Childs collection is comprised of records documenting the landscape architect's career. The collection is arranged in four series: Professional Records, Office Records, Project Records and Additional Donations. The first series contains a resume and project list, and correspondence with clients, friends, and publishers. Office records include contracts, fee lists, and procedural statements as well as visual records. These consist of drawings of garden structures, and reference scrapbooks containing original photographs and clippings, arranged by subject. Childs's project records consist of specifications, plant lists, photographs, and one drawing and are primarily related to residential projects in the Palo Alto area. Blueprints from the Blackman residence (Stanford University, ca. 1931) were donated separately, and comprise the final series. The bulk of the collection was donated by Childs in 1944, with additional materials being transferred in 1979 following his death.

Neal Townley Childs received his A.B. from Yale College in 1909 and his M.F. from Yale University Forest School in 1911. He also did graduate work in landscape architecture at the University of California in 1914.

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the Director.

Collection is open for research.