| Headquarters of the United Nations | |
|---|---|
.jpg) View of the complex from Long Island City in 2021; from left to right: the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buildings | |
 | |
| Alternative names | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Modern architecture |
| Location | New York City (international zone) |
| Address | 760 United Nations Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, US |
| Coordinates | 40°44′58″N 73°58′5″W / 40.74944°N 73.96806°W |
| Groundbreaking | September 14, 1948[1] |
| Construction started | 1948[1] |
| Completed | October 9, 1952[2] |
| Cost | US$65 million (equivalent to $600 million in 2023) |
| Owner | United Nations |
| Height | 510 feet (155.3 m)[2] |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 39[2] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Board of designers mediated by Harrison & Abramovitz |
| Main contractor | Fuller, Turner, Slattery, and Walsh[3] |
The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is on 17 to 18 acres (6.9 to 7.3 ha) of grounds in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It borders First Avenue to the west, 42nd Street to the south, 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 the structure is physically situated in the United States, 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. 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.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
NYTimes-Breaks-Ground-1948was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
NYTimes-Work-Completed-1952was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "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.
- ^ "United Nations Visitors Centre". United Nations. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
- ^ "Turtle Bay blog". Foreign Policy. foreignpolicy.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
- ^ "Home | UNON". Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ^ "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"
- ^ 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.