United Nations Headquarters
188955
226086455
2008-07-16T19:38:15Z
24.102.137.119
/* Depictions in popular culture */
{{otheruses4|the physical offices of the United Nations in New York|the organization itself|United Nations}}
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[[Image:United Nations HQ - New York City.jpg|frame|United Nations Headquarters in New York City, viewed from the East River.]]
[[Image:United Nations Headquarters by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|The [[United Nations Secretariat Building|Secretariat Building]]]]
The '''United Nations Headquarters''' is a distinctive complex in [[New York City]] that has served as the headquarters of the [[United Nations]] since its completion in 1950. It is located in the [[Turtle Bay, Manhattan|Turtle Bay]] neighborhood, on the east side of [[Midtown Manhattan|Midtown]] [[Manhattan]], on spacious grounds overlooking the [[East River]]. Though it is in New York City, the land occupied by the United Nations Headquarters is considered "international territory", and its borders are [[First Avenue (Manhattan)|First Avenue]] west, [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|East 42nd Street]] south, East 48th Street north and the [[East River]] east.<ref>[http://www.un.org/tours/pages/wv.htm#inter why visit the UN?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive|FDR Drive]] passes underneath the Conference Building of the complex.
The United Nations Headquarters were constructed in New York City in 1949 and 1950 beside the East River, on seventeen acres of land purchased from the foremost New York real estate developer of the time, [[William Zeckendorf]]. This purchase was arranged by [[Nelson Rockefeller]], after an initial offer of placing it on the [[Rockefeller family]] estate of [[Kykuit]] was rejected as being too isolated from Manhattan. The $8.5million purchase was then funded by his father, [[John D. Rockefeller, Jr.]], who donated it to the City. The lead architect for the building was the real estate firm of [[Wallace Harrison]], the personal architectural adviser for the family.
==Planning and construction==
[[Image:UNGenAssembly.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Interior of the General Assembly.]]
Rather than announce a competition for the design of the facilities for the headquarters, the UN decided to commission a collaborative effort among a multinational team of leading architects. American architect Wallace Harrison was named the director of planning, and a board of design consultants was nominated by member governments. The board consisted of [[N.D. Bassov]] of the [[Soviet Union]], [[Gaston Brunfaut]] ([[Belgium]]), [[Ernest Cormier]] ([[Canada]]), [[Le Corbusier]] ([[France]]/[[Switzerland]]), [[Liang Sicheng|Liang Ssu-cheng]] ([[People's Republic of China|China]]), [[Sven Markelius]] ([[Sweden]]), [[Oscar Niemeyer]] ([[Brazil]]), [[Howard Percy Robertson|Howard Robertson]] ([[United Kingdom]]), [[G.A. Soilleux]] ([[Australia]]), and [[Julio Villamajo]] ([[Uruguay]]).
The committee considered 50 different designs before arriving at a decision. The basis for the final design was based on Niemeyer/Le Corbusier's design, known as "Scheme 23/32."
Bound by such constraints as the East River Drive (later the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive]]) and the [[East River]], it became necessary to build a high-rise office building for the secretariat. The 38-story Secretariat Building was controversial in its time but became a modernist landmark. Its characteristic east-west walls were fully covered with [[thermopane]] glass designed to absorb heat from sunlight, except for air intakes on the 6th, 16th, 28th and 38th floors. The north-south walls are covered with [[Vermont]] [[marble]].
Per an agreement with the New York City government, the buildings meet some but not all local fire safety and building codes.
The construction of the headquarters was financed by an interest-free loan of $65 million made by the United States government.<ref>[http://www.un.org/geninfo/faq/factsheets/FS23.HTM fs23html<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The UN's founders believed that [[decolonization]] was many decades away; accordingly, they instructed the architects of the new UN buildings in New York to allow for an expansion to only "some 70 members."<ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/reform/topics/general/1995/0929childers.htm Financing the UN - UN Reform - Global Policy Forum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Proposed alternatives===
[[Image:Dag Hammarskjold outside the UN building.jpg|250px|thumb|[[Dag Hammarskjöld]] in front of UN headquarters.]]
[[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[Chicago]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Flushing Meadows-Corona Park]] in [[Queens]], and even the [[Black Hills]] of [[South Dakota]] were all proposed as sites for the United Nations Headquarters before Manhattan was finally decided upon. It was later revealed that France, the UK and the Netherlands voted against situating the headquarters in the United States.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/24/newsid_4353000/4353094.stm BBC ON THIS DAY | 24 | 1945: United Nations Organisation is born<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
In 1945-6 [[London]] hosted the first meeting of the General Assembly in [[Westminster Central Hall|Methodist Central Hall]], and the Security Council in [[Church House]]. The third and sixth General Assembly sessions, in 1948 and 1951, met in the [[Trocadéro]] in [[Paris]].
Prior to the construction of the current complex, the UN was headquartered at a temporary location in [[Lake Success, New York]], an eastern suburb of New York City on [[Long Island]]. The Security Council has also held sessions on what was then the [[Bronx]] campus of [[Hunter College]] (now the site of [[Lehman College]]).<ref>[http://www.lehman.edu/lehman/programs/grad/187.htm History of Lehman College]</ref>
Prior to the choice of the site in New York City, [[Navy Island]] near [[Niagara Falls, Ontario|Niagara Falls]] in [[Ontario]], [[Canada]] was proposed as an alternative headquarters for the United Nations.<ref>[http://www.nfpl.library.on.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?id=95751&b=1 Proposed United Nations Headquarters on Navy Island, ca 1945 - Details<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> An international committee pitched the site as the "World Peace Capital" over 1945 and 1946. The island was considered to be an ideal location as it lay on the boundary of two bordering countries of a peaceful status. It was proposed that Navy Island would be ceded to the United Nations as long as the headquarters remained, and to revert to the Canadian government should the UN move. The proposal was ultimately turned down in favor of the current site in New York City.
Since the Headquarters buildings are in need of repair, it has been suggested that a new temporary site be created at the old Lake Success location. [[Brooklyn]] has also been suggested as a temporary site.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-10-un-renovations_x.htm USATODAY.com - U.N. may move to Brooklyn temporarily<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Another alternative for a temporary headquarters or a new permanent facility is the [[World Trade Center site]].<ref>[http://mediamatters.org/items/200605040009 Media Matters - Matthews advocated moving U.N. to World Trade Center site so that another terrorist attack would "force these guys to choose sides"<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The [[Canada|Canadian]] government, along with provincial and municipal authorities, have proposed [[Montreal]] as a site to move the headquarters; a former docklands site has been earmarked and preliminary drawings made [http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071020/CPACTUALITES/71019162/1019/CPACTUALITES]. However, the UN turned down the request and renovations are slated to begin in the spring of 2008.
==International character==
[[Image:UN security council 2006.jpg|thumb|right|270px|Interior of the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]] chambers.]]
The site of the United Nations Headquarters has [[extraterritoriality]] status, typical of embassies.<ref>[http://www.un.org/geninfo/faq/factsheets/FS23.HTM fs23html<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> This affects some law enforcement where UN rules override the laws of New York City, but does not give immunity to crimes that take place there. In addition, the United Nations Headquarters remains under the jurisdiction and laws of the United States, although a few members of the UN staff have [[diplomatic immunity]] and so cannot be prosecuted by local courts unless the diplomatic immunity is waived by the Secretary-General. In 2005, Secretary-General [[Kofi Annan]] waived the immunity of [[Benon Sevan]], [[Alexander Yakovlev (diplomat)|Aleksandr Yakovlev]], and [[Vladimir Kuznetsov]] in relation to the [[Oil-for-Food Programme]]. All have been charged in the U.S. Federal Court of New York, except for Kofi Annan's own son, also implicated in the scandal. Benon Sevan later fled the U.S. to Cyprus, while Aleksandr Yakovlev and Vladimir Kuznetsov decided to stand trial.
The currency in use at the United Nations headquarters' businesses is the U.S. dollar. English and French are the working languages of the United Nations, i.e., most of the daily communication within secretariat and most of the signs in the UN headquarters building are in French and English.
The complex has a street address of 760 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA. For security reasons, all mail sent to this address is sterilized, so items that may be degraded should be sent by courier.<ref>[http://www.un.org/aboutun/security_notice.htm Security Notice - United Nations Headquarters<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The [[United Nations Postal Administration]] issues stamps, which must be used on stamped mail sent from the building. Journalists, when reporting from the complex, will not use "New York" as the identification of their location in recognition of the extraterritoriality status.<ref>For example, [[Richard Roth]] is [[CNN]]'s UN correspondent, while [http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/ian_williams Ian Williams] is his counterpart at [[The Nation]] and [http://www.unssc.org/web1/programmes/sc/consultants/journalists.asp Carola Hoyos] is the UN correspondent for the [[Financial Times]].</ref>
==Structures==
The complex includes a number of major buildings. While the Secretariat Tower is most predominantly featured in depictions of the headquarters, it also includes the domed General Assembly Hall, the [[Dag Hammarskjöld Library]], as well as the Conference and Visitors Center, which is situated between the General Assembly and Secretariat buildings, and can be seen only from FDR Drive or the East River. Just inside the [[perimeter fence]] of the complex stands a line of flagpoles where the flags of all 192 UN member states, plus the [[Flag of the United Nations|U.N. flag]], are flown in English alphabetical order.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_n4_v29/ai_13344189/print So proudly they wave … flags of the United Nations], [[UN Chronicle]], Dec. 1992 (at the time the article was printed, there were only 179 member states)</ref>
===Art at the United Nations===
[[Image:UN Swords into Plowshares Statue.JPG|thumb|right|150px|[[Yevgeny Vuchetich]]'s sculpture ''Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares'' statue at United Nations headquarters.]]
[[Image:United Nations.JPG|thumb|right|200px|A sculpture of peace outside the headquarters of the United Nations]]
{{main|United Nations Art Collection}}
The complex is also notable for its gardens and outdoor sculptures. Iconic sculptures include the "Knotted Gun," a gift from the [[Luxembourg]] government<ref>[http://www.un.int/luxembourg/knotted%20gun.htm Luxembourg Mission to the UN]</ref> and "[[United Nations Art Collection|Let Us Beat Swords Into Plowshares]]," a gift from the then-[[Soviet Union]].<ref>[http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/untour/subswo.htm Swords Into Plowshares]</ref> The latter sculpture is the only appearance of the "swords into plowshares" quotation, from [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 2:4, within the complex. Contrary to popular belief, the quotation is not carved on any UN building.<ref>See, e.g., [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802828590 ''Captain America And The Crusade Against Evil: The Dilemma Of Zealous Nationalism''] (book jacket description)</ref> Rather, it is carved on the "Isaiah Wall" of [[Ralph Bunche Park]] across the street. A piece of the [[Berlin Wall]] also stands in the U.N. garden.
Other prominent artworks on the grounds include a [[Marc Chagall]] [[stained glass]] window memorializing the death of Dag Hammarskjöld,<ref>[http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/untour/subcha.htm Chagall Stained Glass<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the [[Japanese Peace Bell]] which is rung on the [[Equinox|vernal equinox]] and the opening of each General Assembly session,<ref>[http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/untour/subjap.htm Japanese Peace Bell<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> a Chinese [[ivory]] carving made in 1974 (before the ivory trade was largely banned in 1989),<ref>[http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/untour/subchi.htm Chinese Ivory Carving<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and a [[Venice|Venetian]] mosaic depicting [[Norman Rockwell]]'s painting ''The Golden Rule''.<ref>[http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/untour/subnor.htm Norman Rockwell Mosaic<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Other buildings===
While outside of the complex, the headquarters also includes two large office buildings that serve as offices for the specialized agencies of the organization, such as [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]]. These buildings, known as DC-1 and DC-2 are located at 1 and 2 UN Plaza respectively. There is also an identification office at the corner of 46th Street, inside a former bank branch, where pre-accredited diplomats, reporters, and others receive their grounds pass. [[United Nations Children's Fund|UNICEF]] House (3 UN Plaza) and the [[United Nations Institute for Training and Research|UNITAR]] Building (807 UN Plaza) are also part of headquarters. However, the Church Center of the United Nations (777 UN Plaza) is a private building owned by the [[Methodism|Methodist Church]] as an interfaith space housing the offices of several [[non-governmental organization]]s.
===Renovation plans===
[[Image:UN Headquarter Facade Detail 2005-04-29.jpg|right|thumb|Secretariat building.]]
In recent years, however, the headquarters buildings have come to need extensive renovation, including the need to install sprinklers, fix leaks, and remove asbestos. A renovation plan was announced in 2000 involving the building of a temporary headquarters on what is now a playground (Robert Moses Park) across the street from the current facility. Once renovations were finished, the temporary building would be used to ease overcrowding at the DC-1 and DC-2 However, due to the refusal of the [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] and [[New York]] state governments to fund the project, little has been accomplished as of 2006. On July 28, 2007 it was announced the complex will undergo a $1 billion renovation starting in the fall. Swedish firm [[Skanska]] AB won a bid to overhaul the buildings which will include the Conference, General Assembly and Secretariat buildings. The renovations, which will be the first since the complex opened in 1950 are expected to take about 7 years to complete. When completed the complex is also expected to be more energy efficient.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/07/23/null/main217848.shtml CBS News | UN to Undergo Major Renovation | July 23, 2000 22:59:16<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/22/national/main710882.shtml Trump Touts U.N. Renovation Plan, Tells Senators He'll Rebuild Aging Structure Free Of Charge - CBS News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/finance/docs/2005/0225hqrenov.htm Act Globally, Get Stuck Locally - UN Financial - Crisis Global Policy Forum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2067630 ABC News: ABC News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/reform/topics/general/2006/0516capital.htm Without Action Now, the UN Capital Master Plan Is Not Going Anywhere Anytime Soon - UN Reform - Global Policy Forum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Officials hope the renovated buildings will achieve a [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design|LEED]] Silver rating, although they concede that the delay in construction will result in a projected 7.5% inflation rate in the cost of materials and labor over the course of the project.<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/print/innovate/content/aug2007/id20070820_511806.htm Turning the United Nations Green], [[BusinessWeek]], Aug. 20, 2007</ref>
==Depictions in popular culture==
[[Image:Day114cunitednationsf.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Hallway in the General Assembly building. The General Assembly chamber is to the right.]]
*Due to its role in international politics, the United Nations Headquarters is often featured in movies and other pop culture. Movies in which the headquarters buildings are major settings include ''[[North by Northwest]]'', ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]'', ''[[The Art of War (film)|The Art of War]]'', ''[[U.S. Marshals (film)|U.S. Marshals]]'', ''[[Batman (1966 film)]]'', ''[[The Glass Wall]]'', ''[[The Second Renaissance]]'' and ''[[The Peacemaker (1997 film)|The Peacemaker]]''. But the only film actually shot on location in the UN headquarters is ''[[The Interpreter]]'', filmed with the consent of the Secretary-General.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373926/trivia The Interpreter (2005) - Trivia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*The cover of the [[Megadeth]] album "[[Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?]]" Depicts the U.N. headquarters lying in ruins with the sign "for sale", while "[[United Abominations]]" features it in flames and being destroyed by meteors.
*In the book ''[[World War Z]]'', the United Nations Headquarters is moved to the [[USS Saratoga (CV-60)|USS ''Saratoga'']].
*The headquarters are featured in the video games ''[[Civilization (computer game)|Civilization]]'' and ''[[SimCity 3000]]''.
*The Marc Chagall stained glass wall was the subject of a souvenir sheet of [[United Nations Postal Administration|U.N. postage stamps]] in 1967.
*A painting from the 1960s depicts a figure of [[Jesus]] that is about the same height as the Secretariat building, who knocks on the stained glass wall as if seeking entry.<ref>http://purgatorio1.com/wp-content/pics/jesusUN.jpg</ref>
*In ''[[The Pink Panther Strikes Again]]'', chief inspector Dreyfus uses a special [[laser]] cannon to make the building vanish, as a power demonstration to get chief inspector Clouseau.
*In ''[[7th Son: Destruction]]'', an emergency escape bullet train called EvacSys was used as a major plot point within the trilogy of [[Podiobooks]].
*In ''[[Half-Life 2]]'', UN headquarters is damaged by the [[Combine (Half-Life 2)|Combine]] forces. In the level "Black Mesa East", the player can see a picture showing a heavy damage UN headquarters on a notice board.
*In ''[[Tycoon City: New York]]'' UN Headquarters allowed to be built as a site.
*In ''[[Destroy all Monsters]]'', Godzilla destroys the UN headquarters with his atomic ray.
*In ''[[Spider-Man 2 (video game)]]'', You are able to walk on and around the complex.
*In [[Operation Body Count]], you play an elite forces soldier sent into the UN building to eliminate terrorists that have seized the building and hold hostages on the top floor.
* In [[Grand Theft Auto 4]] the UN headquarters can be clearly seen but when you enter the area by foot, car or helicopter the police chase after you.
==Public gatherings==
[[Protest]]s, demonstrations, and other gatherings directly on First Avenue are rare. Some gatherings have taken place in [[Ralph Bunche Park]], but it is too small to accommodate large demonstrations. The closest location where the [[New York City Police Department]] usually allows demonstrators is [[Dag Hammarskjöld]] Plaza at 47th Street and First Avenue, one block away from the visitors' entrance, four blocks away from the entrance used by top-level diplomats, and five blocks away from the general staff entrance.
Excluding gatherings solely for diplomats and academics, there are a few organizations which regularly hold events at the UN. The [[United Nations Association of the United States of America]] (UNA-USA), a non-governmental organization, holds an annual "member's day" event in one of the conference rooms. [[Model United Nations]] conferences sponsored by UNA-USA, the [[National Model United Nations|National Collegiate Conference Association]] (NCCA/NMUN), and the International Model UN Association (IMUNA/NHSMUN) hold part of their sessions in the General Assembly chamber.
==See also==
*[[U Thant Island]]
*[[United Nations Office at Geneva]]
*[[United Nations Office at Nairobi]]
*[[United Nations Office at Vienna]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Commonscat|United Nations headquarters}}
{{Wikinews|Suspected poisonious gas found in New York}}
* [http://www.un.org/tours/ Official Website]
* [http://www.un.int/usa/host_hqs.htm Agreement Establishing the UN headquarters] including information on its legal status
* [http://www.un.org/av/photo/un60/chapter3.htm Building an International Headquarters in New York] overview from UN 60th anniversary pages
* [http://www.un.int/usa/host.htm US/UN Host Country Affairs] including services for visiting diplomats
{{United Nations}}
[[Category:Buildings associated with the Rockefeller family]]
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[[hr:Sjedište Ujedinjenih naroda]]
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