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 . 
 
 LAWS RELATING TO 
 ART COMMISSIONS 
 
 Printed for the 
 ART COMMISSION 
 
 of the City of New York 
 
 MAY, 1914 
 
LAWS RELATING TO 
 ART COMMISSIONS 
 
 Printed for the 
 ART COMMISSION 
 
 of the City of New York 
 
 MAY, 1914 
 

 \ Ye- 
 
 V 
 
 i!333-14-500. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Baltimore 5 
 
 Boston 7 
 
 Charleston 10 
 
 Chicago 11 
 
 Cleveland 15 
 
 Commission of Fine Arts (National) 17 
 
 Connecticut 18 
 
 Denver 20 
 
 Detroit 22 
 
 Jersey City 25 
 
 Los Angeles 28 
 
 Massachusetts 32 
 
 Milwaukee 34 
 
 Minneapolis 36 
 
 Mount Vernon 38 
 
 Newark 25 
 
 New Haven 41 
 
 New York 42 
 
 Philadelphia 46 
 
 Pittsburgh 49 
 
 Yonkers 53 
 
 821805 
 
LAWS RELATING TO ART COMMISSIONS 
 
 City of Baltimore 
 
 201. There shall be an art commission, to consist 
 of the mayor of the city of Baltimore and seven others, 
 to be named by the following institutions, and appointed 
 by the mayor in the manner prescribed in section 25 of 
 this article, and hold their offices as therein provided: 
 One shall be named by the Maryland Historical Soci- 
 ety, one by the Johns Hopkins University, one by the 
 Peabody Institute, one by the Maryland Institute for 
 the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, one by the Architec- 
 tural Club of Baltimore one by the board of park com- 
 sioners, and one by the Charcoal Club; the members of 
 the commission shall serve without pay. If any of said 
 institutions shall fail to name a commissioner for thirty 
 days after having been requested in writing by the 
 mayor to do so, the mayor shall name such commissioner. 
 
 202. No statue, ornamental fountain, arch or gate- 
 way, monument or memorial of any kind shall be erected, 
 nor any change made in those already erected in any 
 public street, avenue, square, place, park or municipal 
 building in the city of Baltimore, unless the design and 
 site or proposed change for the same shall have been sub- 
 mitted to the commission and approved by a majority 
 thereof, and its report shall have been made to the city 
 council; said report shall be made within thirty days 
 from the time when the design and site or proposed 
 change as above specified shall have been submitted to 
 the commission for its approval. 
 
 203. The commission shall, at the request of the 
 mayor, or the city council, give its advice as to the 
 suitability of the design for any public building, bridge 
 
6 
 
 or other structure, and shall report thereon in writing 
 to the city council. All vacancies in said commission 
 shall be filled by the mayor from those named by the 
 institutions as herein provided; and in case any of said 
 institutions fail for thirty days, after receiving the re- 
 quest of the mayor to name a person to fill the said 
 vacancy, the mayor shall fill it with a person of his own 
 selection. 
 
City of Boston 
 (Laws of 1898, Chapter 410) 
 
 Section 1. An art department is hereby established 
 in the city of Boston, to be under the charge of a board 
 of five art commissioners, all of whom shall be citizens 
 of the city of Boston, to be appointed by the mayor of 
 said city, without confirmation. Said mayor shall, in 
 the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, appoint one 
 member of said board to serve for the term of five years, 
 one for the term of four years, one for the term 
 of three years, one for the term of two years, 
 and one for the term of one year, each term be- 
 ginning with the first day of May in said year; and 
 thereafter said mayor shall, on or before the first day of 
 May of each year, appoint one member of said board to 
 serve for the term of five years beginning with said day. 
 The members of said board shall be appointed by the 
 mayor as follows: one from a list of three persons se- 
 lected by the trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts, one 
 from a list of three persons selected by the trustees of 
 the Boston Public Library, one from a list of three per- 
 sons selected by the trustees of the Massachusetts In- 
 stitute of Technology, one from a list of three persons 
 selected by the Boston Art Club, and one from a list of 
 three persons selected by the Boston Society of Archi- 
 tects ; and whenever the term of a member of said board 
 appointed from such a list expires, the mayor shall ap- 
 point his successor from a list selected by the body which 
 made the original selection as aforesaid. The members 
 of said board shall serve without compensation. Said 
 board may appoint a secretary outside of its own mem- 
 bership, who shall serve without compensation. 
 
 Sec. 2. Hereafter no work of art shall become the 
 property of said city by purchase, gift or otherwise un- 
 less such work of art, or the design for the same, to- 
 
8 
 
 gether with a statement of the proposed location of the 
 same shall first have been submitted to and approved by 
 said board acting by a majority of all its members; nor 
 shall any work of art, until so approved, be erected or 
 placed in, over or upon, or allowed to extend in, over or 
 upon any street, avenue, square, place, common, park, 
 municipal building or other public place under the con- 
 trol of said city or any department or officer thereof. 
 No existing work of art in the possession of said city 
 shall be removed, relocated or altered in any way with- 
 out the similar approval of said commission, and any 
 such work of art shall be removed, relocated or altered 
 in any way that may be ordered by a vote passed and 
 approved, in writing, by all the members of said com- 
 mission, and also approved by the mayor. 
 
 Sec. 3. When so requested by the mayor or the 
 city council, said commission may in its discretion act in a 
 similar capacity with similar powers, in respect to the 
 design of any municipal building, bridge, approach, 
 lamp, ornamental gate or fence, or other structure 
 erected, or to be erected, upon land belonging to the 
 city, and in respect to any arch, bridge, structure or ap- 
 proach which is the property of any corporation or in- 
 dividual, and extends in, over or upon any street, ave- 
 nue, highway, park or public place ; but this section shall 
 not apply to structures authorized to be erected under 
 the provisions of chapter five hundred of the acts of the 
 year eighteen hundred and ninety-seven and shall not be 
 construed as intended to impair the power of the board 
 of park commissioners of said city to refuse its consent 
 to the erection or acceptance of any public monument or 
 memorial, or other work of art of any sort, within any 
 park or public place in said city under the jurisdiction 
 of said board. 
 
 Sec. 4. The term " work of art," as used in this 
 act, shall apply to and include all paintings, mural 
 
9 
 
 decorations, statues, bas-reliefs, sculptures, monuments, 
 fountains, arches, ornamental gateways and other struc- 
 tures of a permanent character intended for ornament or 
 commemoration. 
 
 Sec. 5. If said commission shall fail to decide 
 upon any matter submitted to it within sixty days after 
 such submission, its decision shall be deemed unneces- 
 sary. 
 
 Sec. 6. All contracts or orders for the execution 
 of any painting, monument, statue, bust, bas-relief or 
 other sculpture for said city shall be made by said board, 
 acting by a majority of all its members, subject to the 
 approval of the mayor. 
 
 Sec. 7. Chapter one hundred and twenty-two of 
 the acts of the year eighteen hundred and ninety is 
 hereby repealed. 
 
 Sec. 8. This act shall take effect upon its passage. 
 
10 
 
 City of Charleston 
 (Laws of 1910) 
 
 Section 1. That a board to be known as the 
 " Charleston Art Commission," be, and is hereby estab- 
 lished. The members of said commission shall be ap- 
 pointed by the mayor in every fourth year from the 
 date of the ratification of this ordinance. 
 
 Sec. 2. That said commission shall be composed of 
 the mayor, the director of the Charleston Museum and 
 six citizens to be appointed as follows: One represent- 
 ing the Carolina Art Association, one the Charleston 
 Library Society, one the South Carolina Historical 
 Society, and three citizens to be appointed by the mayor. 
 The said commission shall serve without compensation 
 for the term of four (4) years from the date of then- 
 appointment, and until their successors shall have been 
 appointed. All vacancies in said commission from death, 
 resignation, removal from the city or other causes, shall 
 be filled in like manner as the original appointment. 
 
 Sec. 3. The said commission shall act as an ad- 
 visory board in matters looking to the public improve- 
 ment. They shall make a report annually, or as often 
 as they may deem otherwise, to the city council, making 
 recommendations, whereby the city beautiful and the 
 city historic may be preserved. The city council may 
 from time to time refer to this commission matters 
 affecting the aesthetic and historic interests of the city. 
 
11 
 
 City of Chicago 
 (Laws of 1899) 
 
 Sec. 121. There is hereby created a commission 
 which shall be known as the Art Commission of the City 
 of Chicago, and such commission shall consist of the 
 mayor, the president of the art institute of Chicago, the 
 president of the board of commissioners of Lincoln 
 Park, the president of the board of West Park com- 
 missioners and the president of the board of South Park 
 commissioners, each of whom shall be ex officio a mem- 
 ber of the said art commission, and three other persons 
 to be appointed by the mayor; and the said three mem- 
 bers to be appointed by the mayor shall be residents of 
 the said city, and one of the said three members shall 
 be a painter, one a sculptor and one an architect. 
 
 Sec. 122. The said commission shall proceed and 
 act in accordance with the provisions of an act of the 
 legislature entitled " an act to provide for the creation 
 of art commissions in cities, and to define their powers," 
 approved April 24, 1899; as follows: 
 
 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois, 
 represented in the General Assembly : 
 
 Section 1. Whenever in any city in this state the 
 city council shall deem it advisable, they may by ordi- 
 nance provide for the creation of a commission to be 
 known as the Art Commission of such city. 
 
 Sec. 2. Such commission shall consist of the mayor 
 of such city, the president or chief officer of the principal 
 art institute, or similar incorporated organization, if 
 there be any in such city, the presidents or president of 
 the boards or board of park commissioners of any parks, 
 park or system of parks within the limits of such city 
 under the control of a board or boards of park com- 
 missioners. (All of whom shall serve as members of the 
 State Art Commission during the continuance of their 
 
12 
 
 said several offices) and three other members, residents 
 of such city, to be appointed by the mayor. One of said 
 three members shall be a painter, one a sculptor and one 
 an architect. 
 
 Sec. 3. The said three members to be appointed 
 by the mayor shall serve for one year, for two years and 
 for three years as members of said commission, and shall 
 determine by lot their respective terms of office. After 
 the expiration of said terms of office their successors 
 shall be appointed for a term of three years in each case. 
 All appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the un- 
 expired term. In case any vacancy shall occur in the 
 commission for any reason, the vacancy shall be filled 
 by appointment as provided in the preceding section. 
 
 Sec. 4. The commission shall serve without com- 
 pensation as such, and shall elect a president and secre- 
 tary from its own members, whose term of office shall 
 be for one year, and until their successors are elected and 
 qualified. 
 
 The commission shall have power to adopt its own 
 rules of procedure. Five commissioners shall constitute 
 a quorum. 
 
 Sec. 5. Suitable offices shall be provided for the 
 commission by the common council of such city, and the 
 expenses of the commission shall be paid by appropria- 
 tion made therefor by said common council annually. 
 
 Sec. 6. Hereafter no work of art shall become the 
 property of such city by purchase, gift or otherwise, 
 unless such work of art, or a design of the same, together 
 with a statement of the proposed location of such work 
 of art, shall first have been submitted to and approved 
 by the commission; nor shall such work of art until so 
 approved be erected or placed in or upon, or allowed to 
 extend over or upon any street, avenue, square, common, 
 municipal building or other place belonging to such city 
 or any park, boulevard, or public ground situated within 
 
13 
 
 the limits of such city. The commission may, when they 
 deem proper, also require a complete model of the pro- 
 posed work of art to be submitted. The term " work of 
 art " as used in this connection shall apply to and in- 
 clude all paintings, mural decorations, stained glass, 
 statues, bas reliefs, or other sculptures, ornaments, 
 fountains, images or other structure of a permanent 
 character intended for ornament or commemoration. 
 The term municipal building, as used in this connection, 
 shall include all public schools and all buildings or por- 
 tions thereof, and all grounds used for school purposes 
 in such city. No existing work of art in the possession 
 of the city, or in any parks, boulevards, public grounds, 
 school buildings, or school grounds aforesaid shall be 
 removed, relocated, or altered in any way without the 
 similar approval of the commission, except as provided 
 in section eight of this act. When so requested by the 
 mayor or the common council the commission shall act 
 in a similar capacity with similar powers in respect of 
 designs of buildings, bridges, approaches, gates, fences, 
 lamps or other structures erected or to be erected upon 
 land belonging to the city or a part of any of the parks, 
 public grounds or boulevards within the limits of such 
 chy, and in respect of the lines, grades and platting of 
 the public ways and grounds, and in respect of the 
 arches, bridges, structures and approaches which are the 
 property of any corporation or private individual, and 
 which shall extend over or upon any street, avenue, high- 
 way, boulevard, park or other public place belonging to 
 or within the limits of such city. 
 
 But this section shall not be construed as impairing 
 the power of any park board to refuse its consent to the 
 erection or acceptance of public monuments or memorials 
 or other works of art or structures of any sort within 
 any park, boulevard or other public ground under their 
 control in such city. 
 
14 
 
 Sec. 7. If the commission shall fail to decide upon 
 any matter submitted to it within sixty days after such 
 submission, its decision shall be deemed unnecessary. 
 
 Sec. 8. In case the removal or relocation of any 
 existing work of art or other matter that under the pro- 
 visions of section six would be within the control of the 
 Art Commission shall be deemed necessary by those in 
 power to cause such removal or relocation, the commis- 
 sion shall within forty-eight hours after notice approve 
 or disapprove of such removal or relocation, and in case 
 of their failure so to act within forty-eight hours after 
 the receipt of such notice they shall be deemed to have 
 approved of such removal or relocation. 
 
15 
 
 City or Cleveland 
 
 (CUYAHOGA COUNTY) 
 
 (Laws of 1902) 
 
 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State 
 of Ohio: 
 
 Sec. 4343. When a city, or the county in which such 
 city is located, has in contemplation or in process of 
 construction, buildings for public, municipal or county 
 purposes within the boundaries of such city, the director 
 of public service may employ three persons, to be named 
 by him, of whom at least two shall be architects. 
 
 Sec. 4344. Under the supervision of the director of 
 public service, such persons shall have control of the 
 location of such public, municipal or county buildings 
 to be erected on the ground acquired within the limits of 
 the city, and of the size, height, style and general ap- 
 pearance of such buildings. All plans and specifications 
 for the erection thereof shall be submitted to and ap- 
 proved by them before adoption by the authority en- 
 gaged in such construction. 
 
 Sec. 4345. Such persons shall be employed at a 
 salary not to exceed five thousand dollars per annum 
 each, to be fixed by the director of public service and 
 paid by the city from the general fund. 
 
 City Plan Commission — City Charter 
 
 Sec. 77. There shall be a city plan commission to 
 be appointed by the mayor with power to control, in the 
 manner provided by ordinance, the design and location 
 of works of art which are, or may become, the property 
 of the city ; the plan, design and location of public build- 
 ings, harbors, bridges, viaducts, street fixtures and other 
 
16 
 
 structures and appurtenances; the removal, relocation 
 and alteration of any such works belonging to the city; 
 the location, extension and platting of streets, parks and 
 other public places, and of new areas; and the prepara- 
 tion of plans for the future physical development and 
 improvement of the city. 
 
17 
 
 Commission of Fine Arts (National) 
 
 (Laws of 1910) 
 
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- 
 sentatives of the United States of America in Congress 
 assembled, 
 
 That a permanent Commission of Fine Arts is 
 hereby created to be composed of seven well-qualified 
 judges of the fine arts, who shall be appointed by the 
 president, and shall serve for a period of four years each, 
 and until their successors are appointed and qualified. 
 The president shall have authority to fill all vacancies. 
 It shall be the duty of such commission to advise upon 
 the location of statues, fountains, and monuments in the 
 public squares, streets, and parks in the District of Co- 
 lumbia, and upon the selection of models for statues, 
 fountains, and monuments erected under the authority 
 of the United States and upon the selection of artists 
 for the execution of the same. It shall be the duty of 
 the officers charged by law to determine such questions 
 in each case to call for such advice. The foregoing pro- 
 visions of this act shall not apply to the capitol building 
 of the United States and the building of the library of 
 congress. The commission shall also advise generally 
 upon questions of art when required to do so by the 
 president, or by any committee of either house of con- 
 gress. Said commission shall have a secretary and such 
 other assistance as the commission may authorize, and 
 the members of the commission shall each be paid actual 
 expenses in going to and returning from Washington to 
 attend the meetings of said commission and while at- 
 tending the same. 
 
 Sec. 2. That to meet the expenses made necessary 
 by this act an expenditure of not exceeding ten thousand 
 dollars a j^ear is hereby authorized. 
 
18 
 
 State of Connecticut 
 connecticut state capitol commission of sculpture 
 
 (Laws of 1887) 
 
 Sec. 4871. Appointment of Commission. The 
 commission of sculpture shall consist of six members, two 
 of whom shall be biennially appointed by the general 
 assembly to hold office six years. 
 
 Sec. 4872. No Compensation; Expenses. No 
 compensation or other payment shall be received from 
 any source by any member of the commission; but all 
 proper expenses incurred by the commission in the per- 
 formance of its duties shall be paid. 
 
 Sec. 4873. Decoration of Capitol and Grounds. 
 All matters relating to the decoration of the capitol 
 building and grounds with historical statues or works of 
 art shall, before final action by the general assembly, be 
 referred to said commission. 
 
 Sec. 4874. Reports. Said commission shall bien- 
 nially report to the governor, stating what he has done in 
 pursuance of any law or resolution which may have im- 
 posed any duty upon the commission, and advising what 
 shall be done by the state relevant to sculptures in and 
 upon the capitol or the capitol grounds; but the com- 
 mission shall not, without special authority from the gen- 
 eral assembly, make, erect, or remove from its location 
 anjr statute or other sculpture upon the property of the 
 state. 
 
 Sec. 4875. Officers. Said commission shall elect 
 one member to be chairman and another to be clerk, and 
 may change these officers at any time. Four members 
 shall be a quorum, and a majority of the quorum present 
 may exercise the powers of the commission; but a 
 minority of the commission may render a minority re- 
 port to the governor, advising what shall thereafter be 
 
19 
 
 done by the state relevant to sculptures in or upon the 
 capitol or capitol grounds. 
 
 Five thousand dollars shall be annually paid from 
 the state treasury, to be expended by the commission of 
 sculpture in the work of the decoration and completion 
 of the exterior of the capitol building. The comptroller 
 shall draw his order on the treasurer for moneys ex- 
 pended under the provisions of this act upon presenta- 
 tion of vouchers therefor duly approved by said commis- 
 sion of sculpture. 
 
 Section 1. The commission of sculpture may ac- 
 cept and execute any trusts, testamentary or otherwise, 
 created or established for the purpose of procuring, 
 erecting and maintaining any memorial on public 
 grounds or within public buildings of the state or any 
 municipality therein, and the court of probate in which 
 a will creating any such trust has been proved may ap- 
 point said commission as trustee to execute said trust 
 without requiring said commission to furnish a probate 
 bond as such trustee. 
 
 Sec. 2. This act shall not be construed as empow- 
 ering said commission of sculpture to erect or maintain 
 any such memorial upon the grounds or within or upon 
 any public building belonging to the state without the 
 consent of the general assembly, nor upon any grounds, 
 nor within or upon any public building belonging to any 
 county, city or town, without the consent of the county 
 commissioners of the county, the common council of the 
 city", or the selectmen of the town, as the case may be. 
 
20 
 
 City and County of Denver 
 (Laws of 1904) 
 
 Sec. 121. There shall be an art commission ap- 
 pointed by the mayor, who shall be ex-officio a member 
 of said commission. The commission shall consist of six 
 members, of whom two shall be professional artists, one 
 of whom shall be a sculptor, and such two members shall 
 be appointed from lists of names prepared and submit- 
 ted by " The Artists' Club " or " The Municipal Art 
 League " of Denver, and one member shall be a pro- 
 fessional architect; the others shall not be persons pur- 
 suing the profession of art or architecture. The first ap- 
 pointments shall provide two members for a term of six 
 years, two members for a term of four years, and two 
 members for a term of two years; and thereafter two 
 appointments for the term of six years shall be made 
 biennially. Vacancies shall be filled by the mayor. 
 
 Sec. 122. The commission shall have control of 
 all matters of art pertaining to the city and county, 
 and advise the mayor and council with relation thereto, 
 and serve without compensation. 
 
 No work of art shall become the property of the 
 city and county, or subject to its control, unless such 
 work or the design for the same, together with a state- 
 ment of its proposed location, shall have been approved 
 by the commission. No such work of art shall be re- 
 moved, relocated or altered, except with the approval 
 of the commission. 
 
 No member of the commission shall receive payment 
 from the city and county for the design or execution of 
 any work of art. 
 
 * Sec. 123. The term " work of art " shall include all 
 paintings, stained glass windows, mural decorations, 
 
21 
 
 statues, bas-reliefs, seals, medals, sculptures, monu- 
 ments, fountains, arches, ornamental gateways, and 
 other structures of a permanent character intended for 
 ornament or commemoration. 
 
 Sec. 124. No contract or order for the execution of 
 any work of art for said city and county shall be made 
 until submitted to the commission and its approval se- 
 cured. 
 
22 
 
 City of Detroit 
 
 city plan and improvement commission having art 
 commission functions 
 
 (Laws of 1909) 
 
 It is hereby ordained by the People of the City of 
 Detroit : 
 
 Section 1. There shall be a City Plan and Im- 
 provement Commission for the city of Detroit, com- 
 posed of nine citizens of the city of Detroit, all to be 
 appointed by the mayor. 
 
 Sec. 2. Within thirty days from the time this or- 
 dinance takes effect the mayor shall appoint said com- 
 missioners, one to serve for one year, one for two years, 
 one for three years, one for four years, one for five years, 
 one for six years, one for seven years, one for eight years, 
 and one for nine years. Subsequent appointments shall 
 be made by the maj^or annually ; one each year for a term 
 of five years, and he shall also fill vacancies as they may 
 occur. In addition to the nine members of said commis- 
 sion, the commissioner of parks and boulevards, the city 
 engineer, and the commissioner of public works shall be 
 ex-officio members of said commission, without power to 
 vote. 
 
 Sec. 3. The commission shall elect from its mem- 
 bers a president, vice-president and secretary, whose 
 term of office shall be for one year and until their suc- 
 cessors are elected and have qualified. The commission 
 shall have power to adopt its own rules of procedure. 
 Commissioners shall serve without compensation, and 
 five members shall constitute a quorum. 
 
 Sec. 4. A suitable office or place of meeting for said 
 commission shall be provided, and such expenses may be 
 incurred in the performance of its duties as the common 
 
23 
 
 council and board of estimates may authorize. It shall 
 be the duty of the city engineer's department and the 
 engineering department of the park and boulevard de- 
 partment, to assist said commission with their services. 
 
 Sec. 5. Said commission shall be constituted as 
 hereinbefore provided to procure information and make 
 recommendations to the mayor and the common council 
 as to all facts bearing upon the needs, both present and 
 future, of the city with regard to the creation, develop- 
 ment and improvement of parks, recreation grounds, 
 boulevards, the river front; the extension or opening of 
 streets and avenues or other public ways or places and 
 city plans and improvements generally. The said com- 
 mission shall receive and report on suggestions offered 
 by citizens or officials within its scope, and is authorized 
 to prepare recommendations for a systematic and con- 
 certed plan of such needs, both present and future, as to 
 the addition of parks or the various other improvements 
 previously referred to within and without the city of 
 Detroit as they may find desirable, and which said com- 
 mission shall, when practicable, report to the mayor and 
 the common council. 
 
 Sec. 6. No work of art now in the possession of the 
 city shall be removed, relegated or altered in any way, 
 nor shall any property be acquired for park or boulevard 
 purposes or playgrounds, nor shall any property be 
 condemned for the widening or extension of any park, 
 boulevard or public playground unless the project has 
 been submitted to and approved by said commission; 
 nor shall any gift to the city of a monumental character 
 be accepted until the sketch or plan and the location of 
 the same has been approved by said commission. 
 
 Sec. 7. When so requested by the mayor and the 
 common council or either, or by any other commission or 
 department, the commission shall act in a similar ca- 
 pacity, with advisory powers, in respect to plans and lo- 
 
24 
 
 cation of public buildings, bridges, approaches, or other 
 structures erected or to be erected by the city. 
 
 Sec. 8. If the commission shall fail to decide upon 
 any matter submitted to it within sixty days after such 
 submission its decision or approval shall be deemed 
 unnecessary. 
 
 Sec. 9. This ordinance shall take immediate effect. 
 
25 
 
 Jersey City and Newark 
 
 " city plan commissions " having art commission 
 
 functions 
 
 (Laws of 1913) 
 
 Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly 
 of the State of New Jersey: 
 
 In cities of the first class it shall be lawful for the 
 mayor to appoint a commission to be known as the " City 
 Plan Commission," to consist of not more than nine 
 citizens of such city, and the terms of office of all of such 
 commissioners shall begin upon the first day of January 
 next succeeding the date of their appointment in such 
 city. 
 
 Whenever commissioners shall be appointed under 
 this act, the terms of such commissioners shall be divided 
 into classes of one, two and three years, and the mayor 
 shall designate which of such commissioners shall hold 
 such respective terms under the first appointment, and 
 shall divide the said commissioners, as nearly as may be, 
 into such classes, and said commissioners first appointed 
 as aforesaid shall hold their terms for one, two and three 
 years respectively. 
 
 All subsequent appointments shall be for the term of 
 three years, and in case any vacancy arises the appoint- 
 ment to fill the same shall be for the unexpired term. 
 
 Any city plan commission now existing in any such 
 city shall be continued, but with the powers and duties 
 herein provided, until the appointment of new commis- 
 sioners, under the provision of this act. 
 
 Such commissioners shall serve without pay, and it 
 shall be the duty of such commission to prepare, from 
 time to time, plans for the systematic and further devel- 
 
26 
 
 opment and betterment of such city. It shall have the 
 power and authority to employ experts, clerks and a 
 secretary, and to pay for their services, and to pay for 
 such other expenses as such commission may lawfully 
 incur under the powers hereby granted, including the 
 necessary disbursements incurred by its members in the 
 performance of their duties as members of said commis- 
 sion; provided, however, that the total amount so ex- 
 pended in any one year shall not exceed the appropria- 
 tion for such year as hereinafter provided. 
 
 The said city plan commission may consider and in- 
 vestigate any subject matter tending to the development 
 and betterment of such city, and make such recommen- 
 dations as it may deem advisable concerning the adop- 
 tion thereof to any department of the municipal govern- 
 ment, and for any purpose, make or cause to be made, 
 surveys, plans or maps. 
 
 All questions concerning the location and architec- 
 tural design of any work of art, statue or other memorial 
 within such city shall be referred to the city plan com- 
 mission for its consideration and report before final ac- 
 tion is taken thereon. 
 
 All plats or replats of any lands within the limits of 
 such city shall be submitted to the city plan commission 
 for its recommendation before the same are approved. 
 
 It shall be lawful for the board or body having 
 charge of the finances of any city of the first class as 
 aforesaid, to appropriate any amount not exceeding 
 twenty-five thousand (25,000) dollars any year that 
 such commission may remain in existence, for the ex- 
 pense of such city plan commission, and the moneys re- 
 quired for the expenses of said commission shall be raised 
 by annual tax upon real and personal property as other 
 taxes are raised in and for such city ; provided, however, 
 that for the fiscal year in whicli this act becomes effective, 
 such moneys may be raised by said board or body hav- 
 
27 
 
 ing charge of the finances of such city, by appropriating 
 for that purpose any moneys in the treasury of such 
 city not otherwise appropriated, or by issuing and selling 
 temporary loan bonds or certificates of indebtedness; 
 provided that such bonds or certificates shall be sold at 
 public or private sale, after due advertisement, at not 
 less than par ; which bonds shall bear interest at not more 
 than five per centum per annum, and the payment 
 thereof, with interest, shall be provided for in the next 
 tax levy. 
 
 All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with the provi- 
 sions of this act are hereby repealed. 
 
 This act shall take effect immediately. 
 
 Approved March 12, 1913. 
 
28 
 
 City of Los Angeles 
 (Laws of 1911) 
 
 Sec. 274. There is hereby established a commission 
 of the government of the city of Los Angeles to be 
 known as the municipal art commission. 
 
 Sec. 275. The municipal art commission shall be 
 composed of the f ollowing persons, to- wit : The mayor, 
 ex officio, the chief inspector of buildings, ex officio, the 
 city engineer, ex officio, five citizens, to be appointed 
 by the mayor, subject to confirmation by a majority of 
 the council; and in all matters within the cognizance of 
 said commission pertaining to any department of the 
 government of the city, the president of the board or 
 commission having charge of such department, or other 
 head of such department, shall act as a member of said 
 commission. The appointive members of said commis- 
 sion shall serve without compensation. They shall be 
 selected by the mayor without regard to sex, and shall 
 be known to him as having special knowledge or skill 
 in the fine or applied arts. 
 
 Sec. 276. The appointive members of the munici- 
 pal art commission shall hold office for four years and 
 until their successors are appointed and qualified; pro- 
 vided, however, that the five appointive members of said 
 commission first appointed hereunder shall so classify 
 themselves by lot that one shall go out of office on the 
 first Monday in January, 1912, one on the first Mon- 
 day in January, 1913, one on the first Monday in Jan- 
 uary, 1914, and two on the first Monday in January, 
 1915. If any vacancy occur in the appointive members 
 of the said commission, the mayor shall fill the same for 
 the unexpired term, subject to confirmation by a ma- 
 jority of the council. 
 
29 
 
 Sec. 277- The municipal art commission shall or- 
 ganize by electing a president, a vice-president and a 
 secretary from its own members, who shall hold office 
 for one year and until their successors are elected, un- 
 less their membership on said commission sooner ex- 
 pires. Said commission shall have power to adopt rules 
 for its own government and procedure, and shall hold 
 meetings as often as may be prescribed by such rules. 
 Six members shall constitute a quorum for the transac- 
 tion of business. 
 
 Sec. 278. The council shall provide suitable offices 
 for the use of the municipal art commission, and shall 
 provide funds for the maintenance and expenses of the 
 commission, the amount to be fixed annually in the 
 budget. 
 
 Sec. 279. Hereafter no work of art shall become 
 the property of the city of Los Angeles, by purchase, 
 gift or otherwise, unless such work of art or the design 
 of the same, together with a statement of the proposed 
 location of such work of art, shall first have been sub- 
 mitted to and approved by the municipal art commis- 
 sion by a majority vote thereof; nor shall any work of 
 art, until so approved, be erected or placed in or upon, 
 or allowed to extend over or upon any municipal build- 
 ing, street, avenue, or other public place or ground be- 
 longing to or under the control of the city of Los An- 
 geles, excepting parks. The said commission may, 
 when it deems proper, also require a complete model 
 of the proposed work of art to be submitted to such 
 commission. The term " work of art " as used in this 
 article shall apply to and include all paintings, mural 
 decorations, stained glass, statues, bas-reliefs and other 
 sculptures, monuments, fountains, arches, gates, and 
 other structures of a permanent character intended for 
 ornament or commemoration. No existing work of art 
 belonging to or in the possession of the city shall be 
 
30 
 
 removed, relocated or altered in any way without the 
 like approval of the commission. The design of no 
 public building, bridge, approach, fence, retaining wall, 
 lamp, lamp post or other similar structure proposed to 
 be erected by or under the authority of the city upon 
 any land or in any place belonging to or under the 
 control of the city shall be adopted by any board, com- 
 mission, or officer having charge, superintendence or 
 control of the design or construction thereof, unless 
 such design shall have been first submitted to and ap- 
 proved by the municipal art commission by a majority 
 vote thereof. No arch, bridge, structure or approach 
 belonging to any private individual or corporation shall 
 be permitted to extend over, into or upon any street, 
 avenue, highway or other public place belonging to or 
 under the control of the city of Los Angeles, other than 
 parks, unless the design and location thereof shall have 
 first been approved by the municipal art commission as 
 hereinbefore provided. 
 
 Sec. 280. If the said commission shall fail to decide 
 upon any matter submitted to it within fifteen days 
 after such submission, its decision shall be deemed un- 
 necessary; provided, however, that the time for such 
 decision may be extended by the council by resolution. 
 
 In the event that the immediate removal or reloca- 
 tion of any existing work of art owned or controlled 
 by the city is deemed necessary by the board or officer 
 of the city having the charge or custody thereof, the 
 said commission shall within two days after notice in 
 writing from such board or officer, approve or disap- 
 prove such removal or relocation, and in case said com- 
 mission shall fail to so act within two days after the 
 receipt of such notice, it shall be deemed to have ap- 
 proved of the same. 
 
 Sec. 281. There may be expended for art produc- 
 tions, to be selected by said art commission and placed 
 
31 
 
 in public buildings, grounds or parks of the city, such 
 amount as the council may determine, and such amount 
 may be included in the annual budget for that purpose. 
 The word " productions " shall be held to include, 
 among other works of art, mural paintings or decora- 
 tions which artists may be employed to put on the walls 
 of public buildings, mosaic and stained or painted glass. 
 Sec. 282. The municipal art commission shall have 
 such further powers and perform such other duties as 
 may be granted or imposed by ordinance. 
 
32 
 
 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
 (Laws of 1910, Chapter 422) 
 
 Section 1. An art commission for the common- 
 wealth is hereby established, to consist of five citizens of 
 the commonwealth, to be appointed by the governor with 
 the advice and consent of the council, to hold office for 
 the term of five years from the date of their commission. 
 Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the com- 
 mission may be filled for the unexpired term in the same 
 manner in which the original appointment was made. 
 The commission shall serve without compensation, and 
 shall have power to adopt its own rules and to elect 
 such officers from its own members as may be deemed 
 proper. 
 
 Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the commission to 
 act in an advisory capacity relative to the creation, ac- 
 quisition, construction, erection or remodeling by the 
 commonwealth or upon any land owned by the common- 
 wealth, of any work of art, and relative to the artistic 
 character of any building constructed, erected or re- 
 modeled by the commonwealth, or upon land owned by 
 the commonwealth; and when, upon the request of the 
 governor, there shall be submitted to said commission 
 any plan, proposal or offer relating to the creation, ac- 
 quisition, construction, erection or remodeling by the 
 commonwealth, or on land or in a building owned by 
 the commonwealth, of any work of art, or relating to 
 the erection, construction or remodeling of any building 
 to be owned by the commonwealth or on commonwealth 
 land, and such plan, proposal or offer is accompanied 
 by designs, descriptions, specifications, drawings or mod- 
 els sufficient to enable the commission to determine the 
 artistic character of such work of art or building, it shall 
 be the duty of the commission to file with the governor 
 
33 
 
 within sixty days after the submission of the matter de- 
 scriptive of such work of art or building, its opinion, 
 either approving or condemning the same, to which the 
 commission may add such suggestions and recommenda- 
 tions as it deems proper. The term " building," as used 
 herein, shall include structures intended for human oc- 
 cupation and use, and also all bridges, arches, gates, 
 walls or other permanent structures of any character, 
 and the term " work of art," as used herein, shall in- 
 clude any painting, portrait, mural decoration, stained 
 glass, statue, bas-relief, ornament, fountain, or any other 
 article or structure of a permanent character intended 
 for decoration or commemoration. 
 
34 
 
 City or Milwaukee 
 
 (Laws of 1911, Chapter 318) 
 
 Section 1. An art commission is hereby estab- 
 lished in cities of the first class, composed as follows : 
 
 1. The president of the board of park commission- 
 ers ex officio. 
 
 2. The president of the board of trustees of the 
 public museum ex officio. 
 
 3. The president of the board of school directors 
 ex officio, two professional painters and two architects, 
 who shall be residents of said city, the last four and 
 their successors in office to be appointed by the three 
 officials above named. The term of office of the four 
 first appointed shall be one, two, three and four years, 
 respectively. Thereafter the term of office of each ap- 
 pointee shall be four years. Each appointee shall hold 
 office until his successor is appointed and has qualified. 
 
 Sec. 2. The commission shall serve without com- 
 pensation as such and shall elect a president, vice- 
 president and secretary from its own members, whose 
 terms of office shall be one year and until their suc- 
 cessors are elected and have qualified. The commission 
 shall have power to adopt its own rules of procedure. 
 Four commissioners shall constitute a quorum. 
 
 Sec. 3. A suitable office shall be provided for the 
 commission in the public museum building of such city. 
 The expenses of the commission, not exceeding one 
 hundred dollars annually, shall be paid by the city. 
 
 Sec. 4. Hereafter no work of art shall become the 
 property of said city by purchase, gift or otherwise, 
 unless such work of art, or the designs of the same, 
 together with a statement of the proposed location of 
 same shall first have been submitted to and approved by 
 said commission, acting by a majority of all its mem- 
 
35 
 
 bers, nor shall any work of art not so approved be 
 erected or placed in, over or upon, or allowed to exist in, 
 over or upon any street, avenue, square, place, common, 
 park, municipal building or other public place under 
 the control of said city, or any department or officer 
 thereof. No existing work of art in possession of said 
 city shall be removed, relocated or altered in any way 
 without the similar approval of said commission, and 
 any such work of art shall be removed, relocated or 
 altered in any way that may be ordered by a vote passed 
 and approved in writing by all the members of said 
 commission, and also approved by the mayor of such 
 city. 
 
 Sec. 5. The term " art," as used in this act, shall 
 apply to and include all paintings, mural decorations, 
 statues, bas-reliefs, sculptures, monuments, fountains, 
 arches, ornamental gateways, memorial windows and 
 structures of a permanent character intended for orna- 
 ment or commemoration. 
 
 Sec. 6. Before any municipal building, bridge, 
 approach or other structure shall be erected by the city, 
 the design therefor shall be submitted to said commis- 
 sion for examination and report, but such report shall 
 be considered advisory and not mandatory. 
 
 Sec. 7. If said commission shall fail to report on 
 any matters submitted to it within thirty days after such 
 submission, its decision shall be deemed unnecessary. 
 
 Sec. 8. This Act shall take effect and be in force 
 from and after its passage and publication. 
 
36 
 
 City of Minneapolis 
 
 Sec. 5. Hereafter no work of art shall become the 
 property of any city in which an art committee has been 
 created as herein provided ; nor shall any work of art in 
 such city having such art committee become the prop- 
 erty of the state or of any county by purchase, gift or 
 otherwise, unless the same, or a design thereof, together 
 with a statement of the proposed location, shall first 
 have been submitted to and approved by the commis- 
 sion; nor shall such work of art, until so approved, be 
 erected or placed in or upon, or allowed to extend over 
 or upon, any street, avenue, square, common park, 
 municipal building or other public place belonging to 
 the state, county or city. The commission may, when it 
 deems proper, also require a complete model of the pro- 
 posed work of art to be submitted. The term " work of 
 art," as used in this act, shall apply to and include all 
 paintings, mural decorations, stained glass, statues, bas- 
 reliefs or other sculptures, monuments, fountains, arches, 
 gates, gateways or other structures of a permanent char- 
 acter intended for ornament or commemoration. No 
 existing work of art in the possession of the city shall be 
 removed, relocated or altered in any way without the 
 similar approval of the commission, except as provided 
 in section 7 of this chapter. When so requested by 
 the mayor of the city or the governing body, the com- 
 mission shall act in a similar capacity, with similar 
 powers, respecting the designs of municipal buildings, 
 bridges, approaches, gates, fences, lamps or other struc- 
 tures erected or to be erected upon land belonging to the 
 city, and respecting the lines, grades and platting of 
 public ways and grounds, and respecting arches, bridges, 
 approaches, and structures which are the property of 
 any corporation or private individual, and whicli shall 
 
37 
 
 extend over or upon any street, avenue, highway, park 
 or public place belonging to the city. But this section 
 shall not be construed as intended to impair the power 
 of the library board or of the park commissioners to 
 refuse its or their consent to the erection or acceptance of 
 public monuments or memorials or other works of art 
 of any sort within or upon any property in the custody 
 of said board or boards. 
 
38 
 
 City of Mount Vernon (N. Y.) 
 
 (Laws of 1909, Chapter 552) 
 
 Section 1 . There shall be a municipal art commis- 
 sion for the city of Mount Vernon composed of, first, 
 the mayor of the city of Mount Vernon, ex officio; sec- 
 ond, the president of the board of education of the city 
 of Mount Vernon, ex officio; third, the president of the 
 trustees of the Mount Vernon public library, ex officio; 
 fourth, the president of the board of aldermen of the 
 city of Mount Vernon, ex officio; six other members to be 
 appointed by the mayor, including three members who 
 practice any profession in the fine arts, which said term 
 shall include sculptors, architects and painters and three 
 other members composed of residents of the said city, 
 none of whom shall be a painter, sculptor or architect, 
 but one of whom shall be a lawyer, and the others shall 
 be selected from among those who are among the large 
 taxpayers of the city, or otherwise peculiarly qualified 
 by reason of their knowledge of the fine arts to be mem- 
 bers of the said commission. In case any vacancy arises 
 in the said commission by resignation or by termination 
 of office, the remaining members of the municipal art 
 commission shall submit to the mayor a list of not less 
 than three times the number of commissioners to be ap- 
 pointed, having special reference to the class from which 
 said members shall be appointed, and it shall be the duty 
 of the mayor to fill all vacancies by appointment from 
 the list as submitted. 
 
 Sec. 2. The members of the commission who shall 
 be appointed by the mayor shall choose by lot one, two 
 and three year terms of office, and the appointment of 
 their successors after the expiration of the first year of 
 this commission shall be for a term of three years. 
 
 Sec. 3. The commission shall serve without com- 
 
39 
 
 pensation as such, and shall elect a president, vice-presi- 
 dent and secretary from its own members whose terms 
 of office shall be for one year and until their successors 
 are elected and have qualified. The commission shall 
 have power to adopt its own rules of procedure. Five 
 commissioners shall constitute a quorum. 
 
 Sec. 4. Suitable offices shall be provided for the 
 commission by the common council. The expenses of the 
 commission shall be paid by the city and the amount of 
 the same shall be fixed annually by the common council. 
 
 Sec. 5. Hereafter no work of art shall become the 
 property of the city of Mount Vernon, by purchase, gift 
 or otherwise, unless such work of art or a design of the 
 same together with the proposed location of such work 
 of art shall first have been submitted to and approved 
 by the commission; nor shall any work of art until ap- 
 proved be contracted for, erected or placed in or upon, 
 or allowed to extend over or upon any street, avenue, 
 square, park, public building or other public place be- 
 longing to the city. The commission may, when they 
 deem proper, also require a complete model of the pro- 
 posed work of art to be submitted. The term " work of 
 art " shall, as used in this title, apply to all paintings, 
 mural decorations, stained glass, statues, bas-reliefs or 
 other sculptures, monuments, fountains, arches or other 
 structures of a permanent character intended for orna- 
 ment or commemoration. No existing work of art in the 
 possession of the city of Mount Vernon shall be removed, 
 relocated or altered in any way without the similar ap- 
 proval of the commission. The commission shall act in a 
 similar capacity with similar powers in respect of the de- 
 signs of buildings, bridges, approaches, gates, fences, 
 lamps or other structures erected or to be erected upon 
 land belonging to the city, and in respect to the lines, 
 grades and plotting of public ways and grounds and in 
 respect to arches, bridges, structures and approaches 
 
40 
 
 which are the property of any corporation or private 
 individual, and which shall extend upon any street, ave- 
 nue, highway, park or public place belonging to the city, 
 and such commission shall so act and its approval shall 
 be required for each structure which shall hereafter be 
 erected or contracted for, except that in case of any 
 structure which shall hereafter be erected or contracted 
 for at a total expense not exceeding fifty thousand dol- 
 lars the approval of the said commission shall not be 
 required, if the mayor or the board of aldermen shall re- 
 quest said commission not to act. 
 
 Sec. 6. If the commission shall fail to decide on any 
 matter submitted to it, within sixty days after such 
 submission thereof, its decision shall be deemed unneces- 
 sary. 
 
 Sec. 7. In case the immediate removal or relocation 
 of any existing work of art shall be deemed necessary 
 by the mayor, the commission shall within forty-eight 
 hours after notice from him approve or disapprove of 
 said removal or relocation, and in case of their failure 
 to so act within forty-eight hours after the receipt of 
 such notice, they shall be deemed to have approved the 
 same. 
 
 Sec. 8. This act shall take effect immediately. 
 
41 
 
 City of New Haven 
 
 (Laws of 1905) 
 
 There shall be in said city a commission on public 
 memorials to consist of three citizens, to be nominated 
 by the mayor and confirmed by the board of aldermen, 
 each to hold office for the term of three years. When 
 this act shall take effect the mayor shall nominate three 
 members of said commission, one for the term of three 
 years from the first day of July, 1905, one for the term 
 of two years from the first day of July, 1905, and one 
 for the term of one year from the first day of July, 
 1905, and thereafter shall nominate one member of such 
 commission during the month of June in each year for 
 the term of three years from the first day of July fol- 
 lowing. The members of said commission shall be 
 chosen from such citizens as are especially qualified, by 
 travel, training, and taste, to exercise an intelligent 
 judgment in respect to the matters to be submitted to 
 them. After this act shall take effect, all projects for 
 the erection of any public statue, monument or other 
 memorial on the outside of any city building, or upon 
 any public grounds in or belonging to said city, shall 
 be referred to said commission, and no such memorial 
 shall be erected until its style, design, and material shall 
 have been approved by said commission. 
 
42 
 
 City of New York 
 
 (Laws of 1898, Laws of 1901, Chapter 466, and Laws 
 of 1907, Chapter 675) 
 
 art commission; how constituted 
 
 Section 1. Sections six hundred and thirty-three 
 and six hundred and thirty-seven of the Greater New 
 York Charter, as re-enacted by chapter four hundred 
 and sixty-six of the laws of nineteen hundred and one, 
 are hereby amended to read as follows: 
 
 Sec. 633. There shall be an Art Commission of 
 The City of New York, composed as follows: 
 
 1. The mayor of the city of New York, ex officio. 
 
 2. The president of the Metropolitan Museum of 
 Art, ex officio. 
 
 3. The president of the New York Public Library 
 (Astor, Lenox and Tilden foundations), ex officio. 
 
 4. The president of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts 
 and Sciences, ex officio. 
 
 One painter, one sculptor and one architect, all resi- 
 dents of the city of New York; and three other resi- 
 dents of said city, none of whom shall be a painter, 
 sculptor or architect or member of any other profession 
 in the fine arts. All of the six last mentioned shall be 
 appointed by the mayor from a list, of not less than 
 three times the number to be appointed, proposed by 
 the Fine Arts Federation of New York. In all mat- 
 ters of which such commission takes cognizance pertain- 
 ing to work under the special charge of a commission 
 or department, the commissioner having such special 
 charge shall act as a member of the commission. Each 
 of the aforesaid presidents may appoint a trustee of the 
 institution or corporation of which he is president to 
 serve in his place as ex officio member of said commis- 
 sion. Such appointment shall be in writing and shall 
 
43 
 
 be revocable at any time by such president. It shall 
 terminate whenever he ceases to be president. Until 
 the appointment be so revoked or terminated, any 
 trustee so appointed shall be an ex officio member of 
 said commission with like powers and duties as the presi- 
 dent who has appointed him. 
 
 MEMBERS OF COMMISSION; HOW CHOSEN; VACANCIES, 
 
 ETC. 
 
 Sec. 634. The painter, sculptor and architect, mem- 
 bers of the commission, shall choose by lot, one, two 
 and three year terms of office ; the three other appointed 
 members of the commission shall also choose by lot, one, 
 two and three year terms of office ; and the appointment 
 of their successors, after the expiration of the first year 
 of this commission, shall be for a term of three years. 
 All appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unex- 
 pired term. 
 
 In case any vacancy shall occur in the commission 
 by reason of death, resignation, incapacity, refusal to 
 serve, or otherwise, the vacancy shall be filled by ap- 
 pointment, as provided in section 633 of this act. In 
 case the Fine Arts Federation shall fail to present a 
 list of nominees as aforesaid within three months from 
 the time when any appointment is to be made, the 
 Mayor shall appoint without such nomination. 
 
 OFFICERS 
 
 Sec. 635. The commission shall serve without com- 
 pensation as such, and shall elect a president, vice-presi- 
 dent and secretary from its own members, whose terms 
 of office shall be for one year, and until their success- 
 ors are elected and have qualified. The commission 
 shall have power to adopt its own rules of procedure. 
 Five commissioners shall constitute a quorum. 
 
44 
 
 OFFICES TO BE PROVIDED ; EXPENSES, HOW MET 
 
 Sec. 636. Suitable offices shall be provided for the 
 commission by the board of estimate and apportionment. 
 The expenses of the commission shall be paid by the city ; 
 and the amount of the same shall be fixed annually by 
 the board of estimate and apportionment and the board 
 of aldermen. 
 
 ALL WORKS OF ART TO BE SUBMITTED TO AND APPROVED 
 BY THE COMMISSION 
 
 Sec. 637. Hereafter no work of art shall become 
 the property of the city of New York, by purchase, gift 
 or otherwise, unless such work of art or a design of the 
 same, together with the proposed location of such work 
 of art, shall first have been submitted to and approved 
 by the commission; nor shall such work of art until ap- 
 proved be contracted for, erected or placed in or upon, 
 or allowed to extend over or upon any street, avenue, 
 square, common, park, public building, or other public 
 place belonging to the city. The commission may, when 
 they deem proper, also require a complete model of the 
 proposed work of art to be submitted. The term " work 
 of art " as used in this title shall apply to and include all 
 paintings, mural decorations, stained glass, statues, bas- 
 reliefs or other sculptures ; monuments, fountains, arches, 
 or other structures of a permanent character intended 
 for ornament or commemoration. No existing work of 
 art in the possession of the city shall be removed, relo- 
 cated or altered in any way without the similar approval 
 of the commission, except as provided in section six 
 hundred and thirty-nine of this act. The commission 
 shall act in a similar capacity, with similar powers, in 
 respect to the designs of buildings, bridges, approaches, 
 gates, fences, lamps or other structures erected or to be 
 erected upon land belonging to the city, and in respect 
 
45 
 
 to the lines, grades and plotting of public ways and 
 grounds and in respect of arches, bridges, structures and 
 approaches which are the property of any corporation 
 or private individual, and which shall extend over or 
 upon any street, avenue, highway, park or public place 
 belonging to the city, and said commission shall so act 
 and its approval shall be required for every such struc- 
 ture which shall hereafter be erected or contracted for; 
 except that in case of any such structure which shall 
 hereafter be erected or contracted for at a total expense 
 not exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 
 the approval of said commission shall not be required, 
 if the mayor or the board of aldermen shall request said 
 commission not to act. But this section shall not be con- 
 strued as intended to impair the power of the park board 
 to refuse its consent to the erection or acceptance of 
 public monuments or memorials or other works of any 
 sort within any park, square or public place in the city. 
 
 TIME FOR DECISION LIMITED 
 
 Sec. 638. If the commission shall fail to decide 
 upon any matter submitted to it within sixty days after 
 such submission, its decision shall be deemed un- 
 necessary. 
 
 REMOVAL OR RELOCATION OF WORKS OF ART; DUTY OF 
 
 COMMISSION 
 
 Sec. 639. In case the immediate removal or reloca- 
 tion of any existing work of art shall be deemed neces- 
 sary by the mayor, the commission shall within forty- 
 eight hours after notice from him approve or disapprove 
 of such removal or relocation, and in case of their failure 
 to so act within forty-eight hours after the receipt of 
 such notice they shall be deemed to have approved the 
 same. 
 
46 
 
 City of Philadelphia 
 (Laws of 1913) 
 
 Section 1. Be it enacted, &c, That in every city 
 of the first class in this commonwealth there shall be an 
 art jury, composed of the mayor of the city, ex officio, 
 and eight other members to be appointed by him as here- 
 inafter provided. In all matters within the jurisdiction 
 of the jury, pertaining to work under the special charge 
 of a bureau in any department of the city, the head of 
 such bureau shall, also, for the time being, act as a mem- 
 ber of the jury, ex officio. 
 
 Sec. 2. The members of the jury, to be appointed 
 by the mayor, shall consist of a painter, a sculptor, an 
 architect, a member of a commission having control of 
 a public park in said city, not holding any other office 
 under the city government, and four other persons, not 
 engaged in the practice of the profession of painting, 
 sculpture, or architecture, but, at the date of their ap- 
 pointment, members of the governing body or teaching 
 force of a corporation or corporations organized under 
 the laws of this commonwealth and conducting a school 
 of art or architecture in said city. Those first selected 
 shall be appointed by the mayor in groups of two, for 
 terms of one, two, three and four years, respectively, 
 from the first Monday of April, and thereafter the suc- 
 cessor of each of them shall be appointed for a term of 
 four years from the date of expiration of his prede- 
 cessor's term, except in the case of an appointment to 
 fill a vacancy occurring during a term, which shall be for 
 only the unexpired portion of the term. All appoint- 
 ments under this act shall be exempt from the provisions 
 of the act to regulate and improve the civil service of the 
 cities of the first class, approved March fifth, one thou- 
 sand nine hundred and six, but shall be subject to con- 
 firmation by select councils of the said cities. 
 
47 
 
 Sec. 3. The members of the jury shall serve with- 
 out compensation ; and from their own number shall elect 
 a president and vice-president, to serve for one year, and 
 until their successors are elected. The jury shall have 
 power to adopt its own rules of procedure and to pre- 
 scribe regulations for the submission to it of all matters 
 within its jurisdiction. Five members shall constitute 
 a quorum. The jury shall have power to employ a sec- 
 retary, and such clerks, stenographers and other assis- 
 tants as it may require. All employees of the jury shall 
 be exempt from the provisions of the act to regulate and 
 improve the civil service of the cities of the first class, ap- 
 proved March fifth, one thousand nine hundred and six. 
 The councils of said city shall, by ordinance, provide for 
 the necessary expense of the jury, including the salaries 
 of its employees. 
 
 Sec. 4. Hereafter no work of art shall become the 
 property of a city of the first class, by purchase, gift, 
 or otherwise, unless such work of art, or design for the 
 same, and the proposed location of such work of art, 
 shall first have been submitted to and approved by the 
 art jury of said city; nor shall any work of art, until so 
 approved, be erected or placed in or upon, or allowed 
 to extend over, any building, highway, stream, lake, 
 square, park, or other public place belonging to or under 
 the control of said city. The jury may, when it deems 
 proper, also require a complete model of the proposed 
 work of art to be submitted to it before taking final ac- 
 tion thereon. The term " work of art," as used in this 
 act, shall include all paintings, mural decorations, in- 
 scriptions, stained glass, statues, reliefs, or other sculp- 
 tures, monuments, fountains, arches, or other structures, 
 intended for ornament or commemoration. No existing 
 work of art, in the possession of the city, shall be re- 
 moved, relocated, or altered in any way without the ap- 
 proval of the jury. 
 
48 
 
 Sec. 5. The jury shall make to the mayor, annu- 
 ally, on or before the first Monday of February, a report 
 of its proceedings during the preceding year, and shall 
 also, from time to time, make such recommendations for 
 improvements to the city as it may deem advisable. 
 
 Sec. 6. This act shall not limit, or affect in any 
 way, the authority conferred by law upon any commis- 
 sion to lay out, improve, or maintain any public park, in 
 any city of the first class, now under the control of such 
 commission; nor shall it restrict in any way the exercise 
 of full discretion by such commission in the execution of 
 any trust created by deed or will. 
 
 Sec. 7. No construction or erection, in a city of the 
 first class, of any building, bridge or its approaches, 
 arch, gate, fence, or other structure or fixture, which is 
 to be paid for, either wholly or in part, by appropriation 
 from the city treasury, or other public funds, or for 
 which the city, or any other public authority, is to fur- 
 nish a site, shall be begun, unless the design and pro- 
 posed location thereof shall have been submitted to the 
 jury, at least sixty days before the final approval 
 thereof, by the officer or other person having authority 
 to contract therefor. The approval of the jury shall 
 also be required in respect to all structures or fixtures 
 belonging to any person or corporation, which shall be 
 erected upon, or extend over, any highway, stream, lake, 
 square, park or other public place, within the city, ex- 
 cept as provided in section six of this act. In deeds for 
 land, made by any city of the first class, restrictions may 
 be imposed requiring that the design and location of 
 structures to be altered or erected thereon shall be first 
 approved by the art jury of such city. Nothing requir- 
 ing the approval of the jury shall be erected, or changed 
 in design or location, without its approval. If the jury 
 fails to act upon any matter submitted to it within sixty 
 days after such submission, its approval of the matter 
 submitted shall be presumed. 
 
49 
 
 City of Pittsburgh 
 
 (Laws of 1911) 
 
 Section 1. Be it enacted, etc., That an additional 
 executive department is hereby created in and for cities 
 of the second class, to be known as the art commission, 
 the members of which shall be appointed by the mayor, 
 by and with the advice and consent of the select council, 
 and who shall hold office during the term for which the 
 mayor shall have been elected and until their successors 
 shall be respectively appointed and qualified. In addi- 
 tion to the mayor and the director of the department of 
 public works, who shall be members ex officio, the art 
 commission shall consist of one painter, one sculptor, 
 three architects, all of whom shall be eminent in their 
 respective professions, and two others, neither of whom 
 shall be a painter, a sculptor, or architect, and all of 
 such appointed members shall serve without compensa- 
 tion ; and, in case any vacancy shall happen among them, 
 such vacancy shall be filled by the mayor, for the unex- 
 pired term. The art commission shall elect a president 
 and secretary, whose term of office shall be for one year. 
 They may employ clerks and other persons, whose sal- 
 aries and wages, together with the other necessary ex- 
 penses of the commission, shall be provided for, in the 
 discretion of councils, by the proper appropriations and 
 ordinances. A majority of the seven appointed mem- 
 bers shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any 
 business or the decision of any matters within the com- 
 petence or jurisdiction of the commission, and the ma- 
 jority of such quorum may decide; and the commission 
 shall have the power to adopt its own rules of proced- 
 ure, not inconsistent with any law or ordinance, and so 
 that in proper cases reasonable notice and full opportun- 
 
50 
 
 ity to be heard shall be afforded according to the prin- 
 ciples of the common law. 
 
 Sec. 2. The term " work of art," as used in this act 
 shall apply to and include all paintings, mural decora- 
 tions, statues, bas-reliefs, sculptures, monuments, foun- 
 tains, arches, ornamental gateways, and other structures 
 of a permanent character, intended for ornament or com- 
 memoration. Hereafter no work of art shall become 
 the property of the city, by purchase, gift, or otherwise, 
 unless such work of art, or the design of the same, to- 
 gether with a statement of the proposed location of the 
 same, shall first have been submitted to and approved 
 by said art commission, acting by a majority of all its 
 appointed members; nor shall any work of art, until so 
 approved, be erected or placed in, over or upon, or al- 
 lowed to extend in, over or upon, any street, avenue, 
 square, place, common, park, municipal building, or 
 other public place, under the control of the city or any 
 department or officer thereof. And the said commission 
 shall act in a similar capacity, with similar powers, in 
 respect to the design of any municipal building, bridge, 
 approach, lamp, ornamental gate, or fence, or other 
 structure erected or to be erected upon land belonging 
 to the city, or other public place under its control: 
 Provided, That this section shall not apply to bridges 
 costing less than twenty-five thousand dollars, nor to 
 buildings costing less than fifty thousand dollars. No 
 existing work of art in the possession of the city shall be 
 removed, relocated or altered in any way, without the 
 similar approval of said commission ; and any such work 
 of art shall be removed, relocated or altered, in any way 
 that may be ordered, by a vote passed, and approved in 
 writing, by two-thirds of all the members of said com- 
 mission, unless such work of art is attached to a portion 
 of a building or other structure in process of demolition. 
 In case the immediate removal or relocation of anv ex- 
 
51 
 
 isting work of art shall be deemed necessary by the 
 proper authorities, the commission shall, within forty- 
 eight hours after notice from them, approve or disap- 
 prove of such removal or relocation, and, in case of their 
 failure to act within such forty-eight hours, they shall 
 be deemed to have approved the action proposed. 
 
 In all other cases, if the commission shall fail to de- 
 cide upon any matter submitted to them, within sixty 
 days after its submission, their decision shall be deemed 
 unnecessary. 
 
 Sec. 3. The art commission, acting by a quorum 
 of appointed members, shall have the like power and 
 jurisdiction over any arch, bridge, building, fence, or 
 approach which is to be the property of, and is proposed 
 to be erected or placed by, any public service corporation 
 in any street, highway, or public place, for any purpose 
 of such corporation, and within the lines of any street, 
 avenue, park, or public place, and visible to the eye. It is 
 among the purposes of this act to secure, so far as may 
 be reasonably practicable, the free light, air and pros- 
 pect of the streets and open spaces of the city, and to 
 prevent the obstruction of the same by unsightly struc- 
 tures, though lawfully erected, and for that purpose the 
 art commission is authorized to devise, and recommend 
 for adoption by ordinance of councils, such designs and 
 regulations as may tend to prevent the unsightly occu- 
 pation of such streets and open spaces, and, so far as 
 may be practicable, to promote the beautification of such 
 streets and open spaces. 
 
 The commission may volunteer advice or suggestion 
 to the owners of private property in relation to the 
 beautification of the same; and any citizen or person, 
 who may be about to erect any building or make any im- 
 provement may submit the plans and designs thereof to 
 the art commission for advice and suggestion. And 
 the art commission may receive and act upon the com- 
 
52 
 
 plaints and suggestions of citizens or voluntary associa- 
 tions having such objects and purposes in view as are 
 aforesaid; and in acting upon the recommendations of 
 the art commission the councils of the city may make 
 full exercise of the police power, by ordinance. 
 
53 
 
 City of Yonkers 
 (Laws of 1909) 
 
 Sec. 120. Cities of the first and second class are 
 hereby authorized, in the discretion of those officers or 
 bodies in such cities that have charge of the appropria- 
 tion of the public funds, to purchase works of art which 
 are the production of professional artists who are citizens 
 of the United States, and which have been executed 
 in the United States. The word " productions " shall 
 be held to include among other works of art, mural 
 paintings or decorations which artists may be employed 
 to put on the walls of public buildings of such cities, 
 mosaic and stained or painted glass. A city of the first 
 class may expend under this section any amount not to 
 exceed fifty thousand dollars annually. A city of the 
 second class may expend under this section not to exceed 
 ten thousand dollars annually. 
 
 Sec. 121. Where provision is not made by law for 
 an art commission for any city of the first or second class, 
 the mayor of such city shall, as soon as any city decides 
 to expend any moneys under the provisions of this 
 article, appoint art commissioners for such city. Such 
 commissioners may include women, but shall not contain 
 more than a bare majority of persons selected from any 
 political party. It shall be composed of persons who are 
 experts in art matters. 
 
 Sec. 122. All art productions purchased under this 
 article shall be selected by the art commission of the city, 
 and shall be placed in the public buildings, grounds or 
 parks thereof for the purpose of beautifying the same. 
 
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