Effective: October 1, 1953
Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly
When a corporation organized for constructing and conducting a museum for the exhibition and preservation of works of nature and art and for instruction in connection therewith a public hall of any kind, or a park, pond, or rink for skating or other lawful sports, or organized for holding fairs, festivals, public meetings, concerts, or lawful entertainments of any kind, provides in its articles of incorporation that its buildings or a designated part thereof shall be devoted to the use of the public for all purposes set forth in such articles, free from charge except such as is necessary to provide the means to keep such buildings or part thereof, and the grounds thereof, in proper condition and repair, and to pay the cost of insurance, care, management, and attendance, so that the public may have the benefit of such establishment for the uses set forth in such corporation's articles at as little expense as possible, and when such corporation also provides in its articles that no stockholder, subscriber, trustee, director, or member of the corporation shall receive any compensation, gain, or profit from the corporation for such public use of its buildings or part thereof, then the authorities of any municipal corporation, county, or park district in which the corporation is located may appropriate to such use, and grant the right to such corporation to erect and perpetually maintain its buildings on any of the parks or grounds which, or the use of which, belongs to or is subject to the control of such municipal corporation, county, or park district, or the authorities thereof, and may grant to such corporation the right to control such buildings and parks, and the grounds adjacent thereto belonging to the municipal corporation, county, or park district, on terms which are agreed upon between such public authorities and the corporation. In every such case the public authorities and the corporation may agree that additional trustees of the corporation may be appointed by such public authorities, and upon the number thereof and the method of their appointment. They also may agree that any officer of such municipal corporation, county, or park district to be designated by them may act ex officio as a trustee of the corporation.
Such corporation may provide in its articles a limit as to the number of shares which each stockholder can own, the conditions on which the shares may be held or transferred, and for the reversion of such shares to the corporation in case of the death or disqualification of a stockholder.
Whoever breaks, throws down, or injures any gate, fence, enclosure, embankment, or structure of any kind upon the ground of any such corporation, or forcibly or fraudulently passes such gate, or over such fence, or into such enclosure or structure without having paid the charge demanded by such corporation for entry therein, shall forfeit to the party injured, for each such offense, twenty-five dollars in addition to the damages resulting from such wrongful act.