William Merritt Chase established Parsons School of Design in 1896 as the Chase School of Art. The name of the school changed to the New York School of Art in 1902, and to the New York School of Fine and Applied Art in 1909. This charter documents the 1909 name change. In 1940, the school was renamed Parsons School of Design in honor of former President Frank Alvah Parsons and to differentiate it from other, similarly named institutions.