A Home to the World: The United Nations and New York City – Oro Editions – Publishers of Architecture, Art, and Design

Architecture

A Home to the World

“The United Nations Development Corporation has played an integral role in the story of the UN in New York.”

Seventy-five years ago, in the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations was founded to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, its mission to secure peace, development and human rights for all. To achieve these lofty ambitions, in 1945 the UN needed a home.

It may be difficult today to imagine the blocks between East 42nd and East 48th Streets, between First Avenue and the East River in Manhattan, as anything other than the capital of the world – the headquarters of the United Nations. Although the dignified architectural ensemble of the UN campus stands at a distance from its immediate neighbors across First Avenue, sheltered behind green lawns and gracious plazas, it is so firmly and elegantly integrated into the fabric of the city that it feels like it has always belonged in that special setting.

Yet New York City wasn’t the only option for a UN headquarters and its success there was far from guaranteed. As the UN expanded in the 1950s and 1960s, the State and City of New York recognized that more than a headquarters was needed, and the

United Nations Development Corporation was founded to provide vital office and other facilities that have enabled the UN’s work to evolve and grow over the past half-century. During that time, UNDC has developed over one million square feet of office space, a 450-room hotel and other facilities. These and other proposed developments by world renowned architects complement the extraordinary design of the UN campus and the surrounding neighborhood.

'A Home to the World: The United Nations and New York City' tells the story of the unique relationship between the United Nations and New York City through historical photographs, text and remarks from prominent individuals. The book chronicles New York before the UN and describes how the City came to be its permanent home, presents the architectural and urban design journey to create the iconic UN campus, charts how the real estate needs of the UN evolved over time, and documents how New York City and the UN have helped shape each other, and how both continue to change and evolve in the 21st century.

“New York City wasn’t the only option for a UN headquarters and its success there was far from guaranteed.”

It may be difficult for New Yorkers today to imagine the blocks between East 42nd Street and East 48th Streets, between First Avenue and the East River in Manhattan, as anything other than the capital of the world – the headquarters of the United Nations.

"Born out of the Second World War, this unique and universal

global structure for maintaining peace and security was so wisely designed by its founding fathers that it still remains a platform with no alternative, where all states can discuss and address the most pressing and acute international issues on an equal basis."

—Vassily A. Nebenzia