Headquarters of the United Nations
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. 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.
| 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. | |
| 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 |
| Groundbreaking | By officials on September 14, 1948 |
| Construction started | September 14, 1948 |
| Completed | October 9, 1952 |
| Cost | US$65 million (equivalent to $600 million in 2023) |
| Owner | United Nations |
| Height | 510 feet (155.3 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 39 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Board of designers mediated by Harrison & Abramovitz |
| Main contractor | Fuller, Turner, Slattery, and Walsh |
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. 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 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.
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.