United Nations Headquarters

The United Nations Headquarters is a monumental International Style complex spanning 17 acres of extraterritorial land along First Avenue between 42nd and 48th Streets. It comprises the iconic 39‑story Secretariat building, a marble-clad General Assembly hall, a Conference building, and the Dag Hammarskjöld Library—designed by a team led by Wallace Harrison, with contributions from Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer. The gleaming glass-and-steel Secretariat building, completed in 1952, is a defining image of modernism in Manhattan .

Inside, dignified diplomatic functions occur within richly appointed spaces: the General Assembly hall seats over 1,800 delegates beneath a soaring ceiling; the Security Council chamber, gifted by Norway, features a Krogh mural; and the expansive visitor’s lobby displays prominent international art objects and exhibitions. The headquarters grounds also include the peaceful peace sculptures and gardens, such as the “Knotted Gun,” the Peace Bell, the Dag Hammarskjöld memorial, and the Chinese “Swords into Plowshares” sculpture—all symbolizing the UN’s global mission.

Interesting Facts

• The Secretariat was designed by a multinational team with architects from ten countries, including Le Corbusier and Niemeyer.

• The General Assembly building features marble-clad walls and was constructed to help secure Congressional funding with its dome.

• Public art on-site includes the “Non‑Violence” knotted gun by Reuterswärd, a piece of the Berlin Wall, and the Japanese Peace Bell.

• Tours saved the complex from demolition in the 1970s and led to restorations, reopening spaces like the Assembly Hall in the 1980s–90s .