Headquarters of the United Nations

Headquarters of the United Nations
Viewed across the East River from Roosevelt Island in 2021; from left to right: the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buildings. In the background (from left to right) are the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, One Vanderbilt, and other skyscrapers.
Map
Alternative namesHeadquarters of the United Nations
Arabic: مقر الأمم المتحدة
Chinese: 联合国总部大楼
French: Siège des Nations unies
Russian: Штаб-квартира Организации Объединённых Наций
Spanish: Sede de las Naciones Unidas
General information
Architectural styleModern architecture
LocationNew York City (international zone)
Address760 United Nations Plaza,
Manhattan, New York City, New York, US
Coordinates40°44′58″N 73°58′5″W / 40.74944°N 73.96806°W / 40.74944; -73.96806
GroundbreakingBy officials on September 14, 1948
Construction startedSeptember 14, 1948 (1948-09-14)[1]
CompletedOctober 9, 1952 (1952-10-09)[2]
CostUS$65 million (equivalent to $580 million in 2023)
OwnerUnited Nations
Height510 feet (155.3 m)[2]
Technical details
Floor count39[2]
Design and construction
Architect(s)Board of designers mediated by Harrison & Abramovitz
Main contractorFuller, Turner, Slattery, and Walsh[3]

The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan, New York City, U.S., on 17 to 18 acres (6.9 to 7.3 ha) of grounds overlooking the East River. It borders First Avenue to the west, East 42nd Street to the south, East 48th Street to the north, and the East River to the east.[4]

Completed in 1952, the complex consists of several structures, including the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buildings, and the Dag Hammarskjöld Library. The complex was designed by a board of architects led by Wallace Harrison and built by the architectural firm Harrison & Abramovitz, with final projects developed by Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier. The term Turtle Bay is occasionally used as a metonym for the UN headquarters or for the United Nations as a whole.[5]

The headquarters holds the seats of the principal organs of the UN, including the General Assembly and the Security Council, but excluding the International Court of Justice, which is seated in The Hague. The United Nations has three additional subsidiary regional headquarters, or headquarters districts. These were opened in Geneva (Switzerland) in 1946, Vienna (Austria) in 1980, and Nairobi (Kenya) in 1996.[6][7] These adjunct offices help represent UN interests, facilitate diplomatic activities, and enjoy certain extraterritorial privileges, but do not contain the seats of major organs.

Although it is physically situated in New York City, the land occupied by the United Nations headquarters and the spaces of buildings that it rents are under the sole administration of the United Nations and not the United States. They are technically extraterritorial through a treaty agreement with the U.S. government. However, in exchange for local police, fire protection, and other services, the United Nations agrees to acknowledge most local, state, and federal laws.[8]

None of the United Nations' 15 specialized agencies, such as UNESCO, are located at the headquarters. However, some autonomous subsidiary organs, such as UNICEF, are based at the UN's headquarters in New York City.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTimes-Breaks-Ground-1948 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference NYTimes-Work-Completed-1952 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "4 Companies Join Forces To Construct U.N.'s Home" (PDF). The New York Times. December 19, 1948. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  4. ^ "United Nations Visitors Centre". United Nations. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  5. ^ "Turtle Bay blog". Foreign Policy. foreignpolicy.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  6. ^ "Home | UNON". Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  7. ^ "Welcome to the United Nations Office at Vienna!". United Nations. Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2011. referring to the office at Vienna as "the third United Nations Headquarters"
  8. ^ Kelsen, Hans (1950). The law of the United Nations: a critical analysis of its fundamental problems. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. p. 350. ISBN 978-1-58477-077-0. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2015.