United Nations Headquarters

Welcome, students of history and international relations, to the global epicenter of diplomacy: the United Nations Headquarters. We are standing on the expansive plaza along First Avenue, looking eastward toward the East River,…

Looming directly before us, dominating the campus and the skyline, is the architectural emblem of the United Nations: the Secretariat Building. This thirty nine story tower is not merely an office building; it is a profound…

We turn our attention now to the low, sweeping structure immediately to the north: the General Assembly Building. If the Secretariat is the administrative spine of the United Nations, the General Assembly is its beating heart. …

Deep within the complex, we arrive at what is arguably the most consequential room in the world: the Security Council Chamber. This is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, and the only body possessing the…

Continuing our study of the principal organs, we step into the Trusteeship Council Chamber. This room offers a fascinating case study in both mid century Scandinavian design and the evolving, successful mission of the United…

Our next analytical stop is the chamber housing the Economic and Social Council, universally referred to as ECOSOC. As another of the six principal organs, ECOSOC bears the monumental responsibility of coordinating the complex…

Moving through the expansive, sunlit corridors that connect the various chambers, we must analyze the astonishing collection of international art that functions as the cultural connective tissue of the headquarters. The United…

We conclude our extensive scholarly tour of the United Nations Headquarters in the beautifully manicured gardens that flank the eastern edge of the campus, overlooking the swift currents of the East River. Stepping out into the…