The Municipal Art Society of New York is a pioneering nonprofit advocacy organization that champions livability in New York City through intelligent urban planning, preservation and design. MAS works to protect the best of New York’s built environment — its landmark buildings, monuments, historic districts and public open spaces — and encourages visionary urban planning and design, architecture and public art.

MAS was founded in 1893 by a group of architects, painters, sculptors and civic leaders. Our initial goal was simply to create murals and monuments for New York’s public spaces — hence the name “Municipal Art Society.” But after the turn of the century, MAS took on the role of civic conscience in public debates about the plan of the city, the design of its municipal buildings, parks and monuments, the preservation of its landmarks and historic districts, and the public responsibilities of private developers.

MAS helped to plan the city’s subway lines in the early 1900s; championed the first municipal Zoning Code, in 1916; and pioneered the Landmarks Preservation Law, in 1965, which served as a model for many other cities. We fostered the creation of such New York City public institutions as the Planning Commission, the Art Commission and the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and served as the incubator for multiple civic and arts organizations including the Public Art Fund, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, P.S. 1, the Historic Districts Council, the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy and, most recently, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance.

MAS fought many of the great preservation battles that saved some of New York’s most treasured places. In the mid-1970s, MAS prevented the construction of a 55-story office building on top of Grand Central Terminal and led a successful campaign, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, to defend New York City’s landmarks preservation ordinance, which protected Grand Central. A few years later, MAS fought the demolition of Radio City Music Hall.

In the 1980s, when the city proposed a plan to transform Times Square into a sterile office district, MAS led a campaign to preserve the famed “crossroads of the world” as an entertainment district, and to save the array of bright signs essential to Times Square’s character. As a result, a 1987 amendment was made to the Midtown district zoning laws requiring the facades of all new buildings to be decorated with illuminated signs.

Through its Adopt-a-Monument and Adopt-a-Mural programs, MAS has restored countless public sculptures and murals throughout the five boroughs.

MAS has championed some highly prominent developments in recent years: We partnered with the City to host an international design competition for the master plan to create a magnificent new park on the site of Fresh Kills Landfill, on Staten Island. And we shepherded the brilliant proposal of the Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan to transform the midtown Farley Post Office Building into a grand new rail “gateway to the city.”

In keeping with our early mission to beautify the city with public artworks, MAS guided the creation of the annual public memorial Tribute in Light, honoring the victims of September 11, 2001. The affecting image of twin beams of light shining into the night sky is recognized throughout the world.

Engaging citizens in the shaping of the city has long been central to the mission of MAS, and was made more significant after 9/11. Our pioneering Imagine New York initiative allowed the public to comment on the city’s rebuilding plans and on semifinalists in the design competition for a memorial. MAS has also promoted the process of community-based planning in low and moderate-income neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs. Through our Livable Neighborhoods program we have provided a wide variety of planning workshops as well as professional advice to New Yorkers who want to help shape the future of their neighborhoods.

In 2007, MAS reasserted the importance of citizen participation in urban design by producing a series of programs and an exhibition celebrating the legacy of author– activist Jane Jacobs. MAS also promotes awareness of the important ways that independent stores, restaurants and other establishments contribute to the distinctive character of New York’s neighborhoods.

MAS actively energizes young New Yorkers and inspires their commitment to the city’s future. MAS Urbanists (New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s) play a direct role in the core advocacy campaigns of the MAS and also enjoy social events in unique venues throughout the city. Our innovative internship program, CITI Youth, gives high school students in New York’s low- and moderate-income neighborhoods the opportunity to assist their local community boards — and discover new horizons for themselves.

No view of MAS would be complete without mention of our many outstanding popular programs, including our exhibitions, lectures and long-popular architectural walking tours. More than 10,000 people a year join our urban historians to gain a deeper appreciation of the fabric of their city.