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Designing New York: A History of the PDC

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."

ByNYC Public Design Commission logoNYC Public Design Commission
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Tennis House icon

Tennis House

Appointed by Mayor Low in 1902, Art Commission president John De Witt Warner positioned the Commission as an arm of progressive government with an activist approach. He hired Milo Roy Maltbie as his assistant secretary and together they established rules for recordkeeping, submission requirements, and meeting procedures that would further legitimize the Commission. The filing system put in place by De Witt and Maltbie is still used by staff to add new records to the archive. All unique locations, such as buildings, parks, or individual works of art, are assigned series numbers. Each document that was reviewed by the Commission, such as an application, photograph or rendering, is assigned an exhibit letter. This project, for example, was assigned to Series 222 and is exhibit "C". / Shelter and Tennis House in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, architects Helmle & Huberty. These designs were granted preliminary approval by the Art Commission on July 19, 1906.
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Surrogate's Courthouse icon

Surrogate's Courthouse

Sculptural elements on buildings were particularly in vogue at the turn of the century, as exemplified by the Surrogate's Courthouse at 31 Chambers Street. Over 50 unique statues were installed on the exterior facade of this building. The Surrogate's Court was designed by architect John R. Thomas and built between 1899 and 1907. After Thomas' death in 1901, the building was completed by Arthur J. Horgan and Vincent J. Slattery, who had connections to Tammany Hall. Despite attempts by newly elected reform Mayor Seth Low to remove the firm from the project, Horgan and Slattery managed to retain control over the sculptural decorations on the building's façade. In 1902, Horgan and Slattery began submitting proposals for the sculptures by Philip Martiny and Henry Kirke Bush-Brown to the Art Commission for review. The Commission "disapproved" a number of the proposed sculptures and reprimanded the architects for incomplete submissions. It was rumored that they were retaliating against the firm and Tammany Hall. At one point, Horgan and Slattery bragged to reporters that they had tricked the Commission into rejecting famous artworks, but subsequently sent a letter to the Commission denying this. / "Electricity" by Philip Martiny for the Reade Street façade of the Hall of Records (Surrogate's Courthouse). These designs were approved by the Art Commission on June 2, 1904.
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New York City Farm Colony icon

New York City Farm Colony

The Richmond County Poor Farm in Staten Island was established by the local government of Richmond County in 1829. When Staten Island became a borough in 1898, the farm was taken over by the City of New York and renamed the New York City Farm Colony. The colony was established to provide the impoverished local population with room and board in exchange for farm work. Located across the street from the colony, Sea View Hospital opened in 1913 and was the largest tuberculosis hospital at the time of its construction. Sea View Hospital and the Farm Colony merged in 1915, and the entire complex became known as Seaview Farms. The Art Commission reviewed projects at both locations, including the addition of dormitories, dining halls, chapels, and administration buildings. / General lay-out of the New York City Farm Colony in Staten Island, architect Raymond F. Almirall. These designs were granted final approval by the Art Commission on October 13, 1909.
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USS Maine Monument icon

USS Maine Monument

The oldest project records in the Public Design Commission's archive are for the "Maine Monument" (1901-1913), designed by sculptor Attilio Piccirilli and architect Harold Van Buren Magonigle. The monument is a memorial to the American sailors who were lost when the U.S.S. Maine exploded off the coast of Havana, Cuba on February 15, 1898 and the soldiers who died in the Spanish-American War of 1898. On June 10, 1902, the Art Commission approved preliminary designs for the monument in Long Acre Square (Times Square) at the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 45th Street. Through an apparent administrative error, this location was then given to a comfort station in 1903. A new location for the monument at Eighth Avenue and 59th Street was submitted in 1908, but was rejected as it was too close to the "Columbus Monument" and would impede pedestrian traffic. In 1911, the Commission approved final designs for the monument in its current location. / "The Pacific" by Attilio Piccirilli for the Maine Monument located at the Merchants' Gate entrance of Central Park, Manhattan, architect H. Van Buren Magonigle. Photograph by A.B. Bogart. These designs were approved and the original proposed location was disapproved by the Art Commission on April 14, 1908.
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Public School 19

From 1891 until his retirement in 1923, Charles B.J. (C.B.J.) Snyder served as the Superintendent of School Buildings for New York City's Board of Education. During his tenure, Snyder designed and oversaw the construction of and additions to over 400 public schools throughout New York City. Snyder's schools are notable for their grand architectural designs and innovative features. He implemented physical and material changes that focused on the health and safety of students, creating standards for school furniture, adequate light and air, safe construction materials, and indoor plumbing. Beyond merely classrooms, Snyder's schools often included laboratories, gymnasiums, swimming pools, and auditoriums that could be used by the surrounding community, as well as public art. Though not all continue to function as public schools, 20 C.B.J. Snyder buildings have been designated New York City Landmarks as of May 2014. Currently, capital projects for public schools are managed by the School Construction Authority and are not under the jurisdiction of the PDC. / Addition to Public School 19 located at South 3rd Street and Keap Street, Brooklyn, architect C.B.J. Snyder. These designs were approved by the Art Commission on February 8, 1910.
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330 Broadway icon

330 Broadway

In 1910 and 1911, the City of New York organized budget exhibitions in the Tefft-Weller Building at 330 Broadway in Manhattan. These were likely inspired by a 1908 exhibition to show the public how taxpayer money was spent, highlighting waste, and encouraging the reform of government spending. Organized by the New York Taxpayers’ Conference along with the Bureau of Municipal Research, the City Club, the Allied Real Estate Interests, and a number of invited City department heads, the two-week event was held in the City Investing Building at 165 Broadway in Manhattan and included a series of discussions with City officials. These exhibitions were largely an effort to educate the public about City expenditures in preparation for upcoming budget hearings. Along with their tax bills, citizens received invitations encouraging them to visit the exhibitions to learn how their tax dollars would be spent. The Commission currently publishes similar information in Annual Reports, which can be found on online. / Art Commission display, New York City budget exhibit, 1911.
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West Broadway and Reade Street

The opening of the Old Croton Aqueduct in 1842 supplied clean, fresh water to the congested and rapidly expanding city of New York. At that time, urban reformers hoping to abate the spread of disease and provide a source of clean water to humans and animals began advocating for the installation of public drinking fountains "for man and beast" throughout the city. For the most part, these fountains were donated to the city by private citizens and charitable organizations, including the Women's Temperance Union and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The fountains donated by the ASPCA were intended to provide relief for the horses that served as the primary means of transportation during the late 19th century. / Drinking fountain for horses West Broadway and Reade Street, Manhattan, architect M. McGrath and Company and donated by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Photograph by M.J. & E. These designs were granted final approval by the Art Commission on August 11, 1913.
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Federal Office Building icon

Federal Office Building

When reviewing mailboxes in the early 1900s, the Art Commission contended with the federal government and the United States Post Office Department. The first proposed box, an iron pull-down that awkwardly topped a pole base, was disapproved in 1903. The Commission was particularly concerned about clutter on the streets, since the boxes would be affixed to individual posts, and advocated for an artist-designed mailbox. The battle over design and placement of mailboxes raged on for another decade, concluding with the Commission taking no action on final mailbox designs, therefore allowing the boxes to legally go on the streets without the federal government forcefully undercutting local authority over city streets. / Letter boxes for the United States Post Office for locations citywide, architect George W. Breck. These designs were approved by the Art Commission on October 13, 1915.
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Old Bellevue Hospital icon

Old Bellevue Hospital

The Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP), part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal to stimulate the economy and create jobs during the Great Depression, employed thousands of artists between 1935 and 1943 to create artworks for public spaces. This groundbreaking democratic experiment celebrated and supported American art and artists by providing a source of income, enhancing public buildings, and enriching the lives of Americans in the throes of the Great Depression The Art Commission reviewed hundreds of Federal Art Project commissions during this period, including murals, sculpture, and mosaics. / "Interdependence of Industry and Agriculture" by Phil Reisman for the Men's Large Therapy Room in the Psychiatric Building of Bellevue Hospital, Manhattan. These designs were approved by the Art commission on March 8, 1938.
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Harlem Hospital icon

Harlem Hospital

In the late 1930s, the WPA/FAP commissioned a series of murals for Harlem Hospital. It was the first major United States government commission awarded to Black artists. While the WPA approved the artists' sketches, the hospital's superintendent and the commissioner of hospitals objected to four of the proposed murals on the grounds that they included too much "Negro" subject matter. In response, the Harlem Artists Guild, the Artists Union, and the hospital's first Black physician, Louis T. Wright, worked to support the artists and publicize the controversy. With this support, the artists prevailed and their murals were submitted to the Art Commission for review and approval. / "Mother Goose Rhymes" by Selma Day for the Children's Medical Ward, Harlem Hospital, Manhattan. These designs were granted final approval by the Art Commission on March 8, 1938.
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472 2nd Avenue icon

472 2nd Avenue

The Municipal Recycling Facility is tasked with processing all of the metal, glass, and plastic collected by the Department of Sanitation's curbside recycling program. The facility is sited on the Gowanus Bay's working waterfront to facilitate the delivery of recyclables via barge and rail. The design modifies cost-effective pre-engineered structural elements to accommodate each step of the recycling process, most notably employing an exposed mainframe structure that extends as a canopy over the barge dock. The facility's visitor center is connected via an open-air truss bridge to catwalks in the operational spaces, providing unique opportunities for firsthand environmental education. / Municipal Recycling Facility located at 472 2nd Avenue in Brooklyn, designed by Selldorf Architects. A project of the Economic Development Corporation, Department of Sanitation, Department of Small Business Services and Sims Metal Management Municipal Recycling. The project was granted final approval by the Public Design Commission on January 31, 2011.
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