The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.

Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.

Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.

The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.