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United Nations Secretariat Building facts for kids

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United Nations Secretariat Building
UN Headquarters 2.jpg
General information
Status Complete
Type Office
Location International territory in
Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates 40°44′56″N 73°58′05″W / 40.749°N 73.968°W / 40.749; -73.968
Construction started 1947
Completed 1952
Height
Roof 154 m (505 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 39
Design and construction
Architect Oscar Niemeyer, Le Corbusier, Wallace Harrison, and others

The United Nations Secretariat Building is a 154-meter (505 ft) tall skyscraper. It is the most important building in the headquarters of the United Nations. The building is in the Turtle Bay in Midtown Manhattan. Midtown Manhattan is an area of Manhattan in New York City. The land where the building is located is considered United Nations territory. Even so, the land is still part of the United States.

Dag Hammarskjold outside the UN building
The 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld in front of the General Assembly building (1950s)

History

A ceremony to celebrate the start of the building construction took place on September 14, 1948. Four companies from Manhattan and Queens were selected to construct the Building. The construction cost is around $30 million.

The Secretariat Building has 39 stories and was completed in 1952. The Building was designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. Secretariat Building is linked to another building called the Conference Building to the north. The Conference Building houses the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council. The Secretrait building is also linked to a library building to the south.

The Secretariat Building was renovated in 2010s. The renovation started in May 2010. The building reopened in phases starting in July 2012.

On October 29, 2012, there was flooding in the basement of the building. This is due to Hurricane Sandy. The flood caused a three-day closure of the building and some offices were moved to other locations.

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