Fred Rochlin, born to a family of Russian Jewish Immigrants, graduated from Nogales High School and briefly attended the University of Arizona, Tucson. In December, 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and was stationed in Italy with the 456th Bombardment Group. Fred graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of California, Berkley in January 1949.

Following graduation in 1949, Rochlin apprenticed in the offices of two renowned architects: Frank Lloyd Wright and Charles Eames. In 1952, he partnered with Berkeley classmate Ephraim Baran to form Rochlin & Baran, Architects, Engineers and Planning. During his tenure as founding partner, 1952 to 1986, the firm completed major medical facilities and observatories in California, seventeen other states, and in Iran and Israel.

While professionally engaged, in his spare time he conducted a passionate search for data and images documenting the history of early Jews in the Southwest, with special emphasis on Southern Arizona and the Arizona-Sonora border region. He was also active in historical societies: American Jewish Historical Society, board member; Los Angeles Historical Society, board member; Southern California Jewish Historical Society, president; Southern Arizona Jewish Historical Society, founding member, Pimeria Alta Historical Society, member.

The Fred Rochlin papers contain material relating to his research on the southwestern Jewish community, dating from 1694-2002 (bulk 1880-1930). The collection includes material relevant to the history of Jewish individuals, commercial operations, and communal institutions in Arizona, principally Southern Arizona.

This collection primarily consists of autobiographical reminiscences, copies of historical records, correspondence, newspaper clippings, interview transcriptions and notes, photographs and postcards, and scholarly and popular articles and excerpts. The bulk of the material is photocopies of primary source material. Note that dates listed reflect the subject content of the material.