United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the post-WWII international organization, the United Nations Building or the United Nations Headquarters, is one of the most visited and distinctive sites in New York, New York. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood, on the east side of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River.
The complex includes three major buildings: the Secretariat (the 39-floor office tower), the General Assembly building (where all member nations of the United Nations meet in the UN General Assembly), and the Dag HammarskjÃÂöld Library. It is also notable for its gardens and outdoor sculpture.
The site of the United Nations Headquarters is considered international territory, which means local laws do not apply and the diplomats working there are immune from proscution by local courts. In the 1990's however, the New York City government took steps to force diplomats to abide by local laws when living and traveling outside the UN headquarters, especially those concerning parking tickets and drunk driving.
The land for the headquarters was donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr The United Nations Headquarters was designed by a team of 11 architects headed by Wallace K. Harrison and Le Corbusier. Work on the complex was begun in 1947 and completed in 1952, although the Dag HammarskjÃÂöld Building was added in 1961.