Adopt-A-Monument / Mural

Conserving public art through private funds

1987–present

In response to the deterioration of many of New York City’s outdoor statues and public murals in hospitals, schools and libraries, and the limited resources to preserve them, The Municipal Art Society initiated the Adopt-A-Monument program in 1987 and the Adopt-A-Mural program in 1991. Both programs were born as pleas to corporate and private donors to support the conservation of the city’s most neglected public statues and threatened murals. Today the programs protect 53 works of public art across all five boroughs.

The work of the Adopt-A-Monument Program is supported in part by generous funding from the Achelis & Bodman Foundation, the Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation, and the Paul and Klara Porzelt Foundation.

Leaders hold ribbon at Henry Ward Beecher Monument Dedication in Brooklyn
Henry Ward Beecher Monument Dedication, 2017.
MAS Adopt-A-Monument Program Director Phyllis Cohen gives an overview of the program and tells the story of three notable restorations - the Die Lorelie Fountain in the Bronx, the Bellringers in Herald Square, and the Evangeline Blashfield Fountain in Midtown.
Leaders hold ribbon at Henry Ward Beecher Monument Dedication in Brooklyn
To track our achievements, we have created an interactive map of all the monuments throughout New York City that have been restored and preserved through the Adopt-A-Monument program.
Help us conserve public art across the five boroughs
Advocate with us online

Follow MAS:

Get updates about our work!
Support our advocacy

MAS members and partners are crucial to everything we do. Please consider contributing to MAS and joining our community of advocates.

Support Us
Contact Us

Contact a staff member to learn more or join the campaign. pcohen@mas.org >

Members of the media looking to discuss this project further, contact us at mbaron@mas.org >

children play on the shore near the Brooklyn Bridge. Photo: Giles Ashford.

MAS is proud to fight alongside you for the city we want—a place where growth is balanced and character endures.

Become a member Donate
workers restoring a Bolotowsky mural
1991

Protecting Public Art through Adopt-A-Mural

Following the success of Adopt-A-Monument, MAS launches its sister program Adopt-A-Mural. Together, the programs have raised more than $5 million to conserve and maintain 51 works of public art across all five boroughs.

View Our Full History