Though actually triangular, Mitchel Square is a small urban park that features the war memorial seen here. The plot was initially dedicated as a public space in 1911 and named Audubon Square. On February 8, 1919, the square was renamed in honor of John Purroy Mitchel. Mitchel was elected the youngest mayor of New York City (a record which still stands) in 1913. The "Boy Mayor" was known for his idealism and (perhaps uncommon in politics) honesty. Following his mayoral term (he lost a bid for reelection in the primaries), he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. In 1918 while on a training flight in Lousiana, Mitchel fell from his plane and died. The city (and state) mourned and eulogized the former mayor, naming this park after him, erecting a memorial at Fifth Avenue and East 91st Street, and naming a Long Island airfield for him. Theodore Roosevelt wrote of the man, “No stauncher American, no abler and more disinterested public servant, and no finer natural soldier than Purroy Mitchel was to be found in all our country.” Four years after the park's renaming, this World War I memorial sculpture was installed. Dedicated on May 30, 1923, and designed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, this public arts still stands on the north side of the park, while the south side remains benches and rock outcroppings.

The Public Design Commission (PDC) was established as the Municipal Art Commission by the New York City Charter in 1898 (following the consolidation of NYC). The Commission was tasked with the oversight of all public artworks and monuments, but its purview quickly expanded to include public structures and open spaces. Renamed in 2008, the PDC reviews the design of permanent works of architecture, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over City-owned property. Projects are submitted by City agencies and include the construction, renovation, or restoration of buildings; the creation or rehabilitation of parks, playgrounds, and plazas; installation of lighting and other streetscape elements; signage; and the installation and conservation of artwork, including monuments and memorials. The Commission also acts as caretaker and curator of the City’s public art collection, which is located throughout the city’s public buildings and open spaces, and maintains an extensive archive documenting the history of New York City's public works. The PDC Archive maintains a collection of projects reviewed by the Commission since 1902, documenting more than 7,000 sites throughout New York City and providing a unique view into the history of the City’s public works. The designs that have been reviewed by the PDC throughout its over 120-year history are representative of the policies and focus of Mayoral administrations while simultaneously following historical trends in public design, public health, and artistic and cultural movements in the city and country at large. The following examples illustrate the breadth of projects under the PDC's purview, from large scale developments to streetscape fixtures that often go unnoticed. For an in-depth history of the Public Design Commission, see Michele H. Bogart’s book, "The Politics of Urban Beauty."