United Nations General Assembly Building

The United Nations General Assembly building was constructed as part of a larger complex, intended to be the Headquarters for the United Nations. The General Assembly building was built for the United Nations delegation, comprised of representatives from Member States of the United Nations, who come together annually for sessions of the General Assembly. There are three other buildings on the 18-acre complex in addition to the General Assembly building, including the Secretariat building, Conference Area, and Library, as well as landscaped plazas.

The five story General Assembly building is the northernmost structure on the United Nations Plaza in New York City, located between 1st Avenue and East River Drive, and spanning from 44th Street to 45th Street, approximately. Its footprint is a curved trapezoid, with its 380 foot long west and east facades concavely curving. These two facades have minimal ornament and are comprised of English limestone with Vermont marble panels and trimmings to correspond with the north and south facades of the Secretariat building to the southeast. The north and south facades are straight; the wider north facade has marble piers holding translucent glass panels while the south facade is comprised of a recessed marble frame holding a 53.5 foot high plate-glass window. The north facade, which opens into a massive landscaped plaza, is the main entrance to the Headquarters for the public, while the south facade, which opens into the Secretariat plaza, is the main entrance for the United Nations delegates. There is a shallow copper dome on the top center of the structure. Inside beneath the dome is the main Assembly Hall, comprising the second, third, and fourth floors of the structure at 165 feet in length, 155 feet in width, and 75 feet in height. This hall is used for the annual General Assembly meetings and has been expanded to reflect the increased membership of the United Nations. The lower levels contain conference rooms as well as the communications hub for the entire complex.

1949-1950(a)

The context of the General Assembly building within United Nations Headquarters is almost the same today as it was in 1950. The only major addition, the Dag Hammarskjold Library to the south of the General Assembly building, was constructed in 1961.

The General Assembly building is an example of the modernization of building technology after World War II. The structure has a steel frame with English limestone flanking the east and west facades. The north facade is comprised of translucent glass panels, designed specifically for the building, set into marble piers, corresponding with the 53.5 foot high plate glass window of the south facade, also set within a marble frame. These cantilevered entrances illustrate the technological advances in engineering at the time. The sloping roof and shallow copper dome on top of the steel structure demonstrate the dismissal of classical proportions in modernist architecture and construction.

The design and construction of the General Assembly building and the entire United Nations complex remains a monument to the international organization in the post-World War II era. At the time of construction, these structures provided a symbol of the unification of the world with the intention of maintaining peace. In addition to the multi-national design team that created the General Assembly building, its worldly materials, such as English limestone and Vermont marble used on the exterior, demonstrate the international spirit of the time.

The design and construction of the General Assembly building in conjunction with the rest of the United Nations complex demonstrates the significance of the organization in the post-World War II era. The decision to build the complex in the modernist style illustrated the stability and prominence of the organization in a world shattered by war. Moreover, constructing this complex in New York City revealed the power and preeminence of the city at this time.