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The current United Nations headquarters building was constructed on a 16 acre site in New York City between 1949 and 1950, beside the East River. This office project land was bought for 8.5 million dollars by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., using his son Nelson as a crucial negotiator with New York's major developer, William Zeckendorf, in December 1946. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. then donated the land to the UN.
The headquarters was designed by an international team of architects that included Le Corbusier (Switzerland), Oscar Niemeyer (Brazil), and representatives of numerous other nations. Wallace K. Harrison, an adviser to Nelson Rockefeller, headed the team. There is disagreement among scholars as to attribution. UN headquarters officially opened on 9 January, 1951. While the principal headquarters of the UN are in New York, there are major agencies located in Geneva, The Hague, Vienna, Montreal, Copenhagen, Bonn, and elsewhere.
The street address of the UN headquarters is: 760 United Nations Plaza, New York City, NY 10017, USA. Due to security concerns, all mail sent to that address is sterilized.
The UN buildings are not considered separate political jurisdictions, but do have certain aspects of sovereignty. For example, under agreements with their host countries the United Nations Postal Administration is allowed to issue postage stamps for local mailing. Since 1951 the New York office, since 1969 the Geneva office, and since 1979 the Vienna office have had their own issues. UN organizations also use their own telecommunications ITU prefix, 4U, and unofficially the New York, Geneva, and Vienna sites are considered separate entities for amateur radio purposes. As the UN main building is aging, the UN is in the process of negotiating to build a temporary headquarters designed by Fumihiko Maki on First Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets for use while the current building is being expanded.
Prior to 1949, the United Nations used a variety of venues in London and New York State.
NewsMax reported in March 2007 that the U.N. planned to begin a renovation of its complex, starting 2008. The Capital Master Plan is projected to last almost 10 years and could cost a sum close to $2 billion. This comes after news of rodent infestations at the headquarters.
When you pass through the gates of the United Nations Headquarters in New
York, you enter international territory. The 18-acre site extends from 42nd
Street to 48th Street, and from First Avenue to the East River. The land does
not belong to just one country, but to all countries that have joined the
Organization. The United Nations has its own security and fire forces and issues
its own postage stamps. Every year nearly a million visitors from all over the
world come to visit the UN headquarters in New York |
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