New UN Building

[New Jack City]

August 21, 2003

An Elite Contest for a Growing U.N.

By FRED A. BERNSTEIN

A LITTLE more than 50 years ago, the United Nations brought together some of the world's most prominent architects, including Le Corbusier and Oscar Neimeyer, to design its headquarters on the East River. The result is a Modernist icon.

Now the United Nations needs more space, and it has once again turned to some of the world's most prominent architects. The United Nations Development Corporation, an agency created by New York City and State, is narrowing the field in an elite competition to design a 900,000-square-foot building.

Earlier this year, Roy Goodman, the former state senator who heads the development corporation, wrote to all 23 living winners of the Pritzker Prize, which is considered architecture's highest honor. The laureates include Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas and the nonagenarians Philip Johnson and Mr. Neimeyer. Mr. Goodman invited them to compete to design a building on First Avenue at 42nd Street, just south of the existing United Nations complex.

Several of the architects, including Robert Venturi, I. M. Pei and Mr. Gehry, decided not to compete, they or their spokesmen said. Others wanted to, but were eliminated early in the summer. Mr. Johnson's design partner, Alan Ritchie, said: "We wrote a letter, saying we were interested, and enclosed a brochure of our work. We got a `Thanks but no thanks' letter."

Joshua Ramus, a New York-based partner of Mr. Koolhaas, said that he submitted a statement of interest, but that "we weren't selected."

That left four architects in the running: Richard Meier of New York, Fumihiko Maki of Tokyo, Norman Foster of London and Kevin Roche of Hamden, Conn. All are known for creating sleek Modernist buildings.

Mr. Venturi said by telephone from Switzerland that he assumed his lack of experience with skyscrapers would have hurt his chances. His wife and design partner, Denise Scott Brown, added: "You get attached to what you design, and then you're terribly disappointed."

Told who the four finalists were, Ms. Scott Brown said: "We made the right decision. If they want those people, they wouldn't want us."

Employees of Mr. Roche and Mr. Foster said they were not at liberty to discuss the competition. The development corporation referred calls to Janel Patterson, a spokeswoman for the New York City Economic Development Corporation, who said she could not comment. But Mr. Maki and Mr. Meier said they were working on designs, which are to be be reviewed in early October.

"It won't be easy to accommodate 900,000 square feet of office and conference space on the site," said Mr. Maki, who is best known for museums in Japan and a cultural center in San Francisco. "But architects are an optimistic species."

The United Nations site is now occupied by the Robert Moses Playground and a bulky air vent for the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. And some members of the community object to the loss of the playground. But Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a director of the United Nations Development Corporation, predicted that a proposed land swap would give the community a park far superior to the current one, because "there will be less carbon monoxide."

That, however, will not solve the problem for the four architects. Mr. Meier, who has designed a pair of new apartment buildings in the West Village but is best known for the Getty Center, his modern acropolis in Los Angeles, said he had considered talking to Mr. Maki, Mr. Roche and Mr. Foster about proposing an alternate site. But he said that the United Nations had not encouraged contact among the architects. "They've gone out of their way to keep each of us in our own stable," he said, adding that each architect had toured the site separately.

The new building would allow the United Nations to consolidate its staff. Occupants of the 50-year-old Secretariat building would move into the new one while the Secretariat undergoes a badly needed renovation. Later, United Nations offices in a variety of buildings in Midtown would move to the new tower.

Mr. Meier enters the competition with some trepidation. "The energy that goes into the process is enormous, and it's all on our part," he said. "And who knows what they're going to do?"

Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

[CG5]

Very, very interesting article. This is exciting news. My vote right now, pre-proposals, has to go to either Meier or Roche. Foster has lost his spark, and I don't know much about Maki. I will definately keep an eye on this project.

I was a little disappointed that Venturi didn't even try, simply because he'd never had experience designing a skyscraper. Neither had Le Corbusier, and he was the primary architect of the original UN tower. For an architecht, part of a supposedly "optimistic breed," Venturi sounds like quite the downer.

[UrbanLandscape]

I would go for tearing up and deals and contracts and kicking the UN off of very valuable land. It'll probably be another modernist peice of crap, as usual. All of their buildings always suck. They claim that it's "artistic", but it's not, it's just cheap, and it's stupid.

Just like the UN.

[New Jack City]

Originally posted by UrbanLandscape

I would go for tearing up and deals and contracts and kicking the UN off of very valuable land. It'll probably be another modernist peice of crap, as usual. All of their buildings always suck. They claim that it's "artistic", but it's not, it's just cheap, and it's stupid.

Just like the UN.

You can't judge a skycraper without seeing it!

Besides they wouldn't hire such architects to design a building that will look as bad as the existing one.

[GreatSky]

I agree....the U.N. building is a classic....and should now be torn down.

[urban]

Time to move the UN to Toronto.

- Not just my opinion but the idea of a Toronto City Councilor.

For the UN, the cost of operation in Toronto would be so much cheaper - shaving millions for every member nation.

Toronto is home to virtually every single consulate in the World. So member states would have to do very little in terms of getting back to business.

Toronto has acres of portland that could be used.

I think the UN should seriously look at setting up shop elsewhere for economic reasons.

[GreatSky]

Moving it to Toronto? Have some Canadians gone stupid or is it just me?

[GreatSky]

Let's hope in this single architect or design collaboration, that a wonderful new landmark is born in the great city of New York.

[nygirl]

Originally posted by GreatSky

Moving it to Toronto? Have all the Canadians gone stupid or is it just me? Noooo, come on lets not start calling names, the kid wants his hometown to have the un... you can have it toronto really, im serious, god greatsky you know what traffic is like whenever something happens i hate that! i dont care for the building to tell you the truth.. one of my least favorites... urban i don't think that will ever happen, sadly.. if the un moves, im sorry but it should go to either london or....????? nope thats it london and new york, it must take alot to host the united nations, more than toronto has to offer i think... sorrrrry, but you can have the traffic if you want it.. hey any designs of the new building?

[The Game Is Up]

Hey, I wouldn't mind the UN going to Toronto. That way, all the anti-U.S. protesters can assemble there instead of clogging up traffic at First Avenue. :D

[GreatSky]

NYGirl, while they are at it, they should demolish or move Madison Square Garden. Right after an event, as you should know, traffic is a bitch.

Switching subjects, I for one, like the UN in New York City's borders. It adds yet another first class organization to New York's laundery list. I just don't like the building it is in.

[FerrariEnzo]

I agree. Having the UN, even if you dont like it, is a great accet for a city. It elevates NY ever higher on the global totam pole. I say keep it but start the complex over again.

[dom]

the UN should either be in ny, london or geneva. probably geneva would be the best place, despite it being boring, switzerland is neutral.

i quite like the UN in new york though...despite the whole 'liberty' and freedom being espoused by bush and co at the moment, many around the world regard new york as a city of the world, a city of immigrants and a city built by immigrants.

obviously as a londoner id prefer it in london but new york is certainly a worthy home!

who will pay for the new building though?

[LeCom]

A funny story about the UN. A couple of German people came over visiting our house in NY, and before giving them tours and stuff, we showed them a few postcards. To each they went ooo" and "nice" and "beautiful", but then they saw the UN, they said, "It's not beautiful. It's geometry.".

[LeCom]

Originally posted by CG5

Very, very interesting article. This is exciting news. My vote right now, pre-proposals, has to go to either Meier or Roche. Foster has lost his spark, and I don't know much about Maki. I will definately keep an eye on this project.

I was a little disappointed that Venturi didn't even try, simply because he'd never had experience designing a skyscraper. Neither had Le Corbusier, and he was the primary architect of the original UN tower. For an architecht, part of a supposedly "optimistic breed," Venturi sounds like quite the downer.
True that, Van Allen never really desgned skyscrapers, but Chrysler... enough said.

[New Jack City]

Here's a much needed update...

NY Times

Japanese Architect Wins U.N. Competition

By JULIE V. IOVINE
Published: February 14, 2004

Fumihiko Maki, a Japanese architect known for classical modern designs executed with a craftsman-like approach to technology, has won the competition to design an additional building for the United Nations.

His selection was reported Tuesday by The New York Sun. Officials at the United Nations Development Corporation, which develops and manages the organization's office space, said a formal announcement is not expected until late this month.

Mr. Maki said by phone yesterday that he admired the slender silhouette of the United Nations Secretariat building. "The thin slab is something quite unique because in America office buildings tend to be large and squarish," said Mr. Maki, who has also been chosen to design the new office buildings at the World Trade Center site.

Construction of the United Nations building, on First Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets, will allow the current complex, just north of the site, to be expanded and renovated.

The proposed design is "glassy, white and sheer but elegant," said Edward Rubin, a member of the selection jury and chairman of the land-use committee of Community Board 6, which represents the neighborhood that includes the United Nations complex. Mr. Maki and his firm, Maki & Associates, will be working in partnership with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill on the 35-story building, which is expected to cost about $330 million and be completed by 2008.

The United Nations complex, completed in 1952, now needs both expansion and renovation, including the removal of asbestos and lead paint. Once the new, 900,000-square-foot building is completed, it will be used by the General Assembly, the Secretariat and their staffs. They will move back when the renovation is complete; the new building will then house United Nations employees now working at other Midtown locations.

The Robert Moses Playground and a ventilation shaft for the Queens-Midtown Tunnel are now located on the development site. Community Board 6 supports the development as long as the United Nations replaces parts of the 1.3-acre playground that will be lost, Mr. Rubin said. At risk are a soccer field and a blacktopped surface where a roller hockey league has played for more than 20 years.

The United Nations has agreed to pay for a $100,000 esplanade on the East River, said Michael Sherman, a spokesman for the development corporation.

But paths for strolling are not the same as playing fields, said Mr. Rubin. "We take our active space very seriously,'' he said. "We want a suitable replacement and we want it as close to the existing Robert Moses park as possible.''

The competition was open only to winners of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the highest honor in the profession. The other contestants were Kevin Roche of Hamden, Conn., and Lord Norman Foster of London. Richard Meier, a New York architect, withdrew from the competition last summer. "I told them it's the wrong site," he said. "All the requirements for size, traffic, security, access - everything cannot be met on that site."

The selection of Mr. Maki suggests an effort to honor the original building's reputation as an icon of International Style modernism. Mr. Maki's approach to building combines subdued refinements with technological flourishes, as seen in the swooping steel roof of the Fujisawa Municipal Gymnasium in suburban Tokyo, which suggests both an ancient warrior helmet and a hovering spaceship.

Mr. Maki said, "The U.N. reminded us that whatever we did we had to respect the existing building and not make an addition that is too aggressive or too iconographic, but rather friendly and quiet."

[New Jack City]

Here's a map of the area, the new building's site is P7.

http://turtlebay-nyc.org/images/map-full.jpg

[LeCom]

They shoulda gone for a taller building. A 60 story tower woulda looked real nice on the site.

[FerrariEnzo]

Right on the river its to easy of a target. Especialy for planes and RPGs fired from boats or Queens. Though I wouldnt mind a 60+ story tower.

[Agglomeration]

What? Rocket-propelled grenades fired from Queens? That's 1,700 feet away! And with all these police and other boats in the water, firing it from a boat in daylight is virtually impossible.

That said, I don't want the UN moved out of New York. We already lost the WTC Twin Towers to 9-11, we don't need any government expelling the organization from the world's most culturally diverse city (although London and Toronto are also pretty multicultural).

[Liz L]

Well, at this point in time, whatever else happens, I wouldn't want **ONE**RED**CENT** of U.S. taxpayer money going for it -let the U.N. pay for their own party, for a change! :no:

[FerrariEnzo]

They are paying it back with intrest so it makes a profit for us....

[bagel]

Well, at this point in time, whatever else happens, I wouldn't want **ONE**RED**CENT** of U.S. taxpayer money going for it -let the U.N. pay for their own party, for a change! :no:

Considering the US actually owes the UN many millions of dollars, I think the US is being irresponsible doubly right now....

[New Jack City]

Looks like Fox and Fowle is involved too...

This is a quote from s.com's interview with Bruce Fowle of the firm:

We're also working with Fumihiko Maki on a new 35-story office building for the United Nations Development Corporation. It is just south of the UN complex and will initially be swing space for the UN to move into while they're renovating the original buildings. It will later become permanent offices for various UN-related operations.

Source: http://www.emporis.com/en/cd/iv/fo/

[RafflesCity]

Cant wait to see a rendering. I predict something boxy.

[New Jack City]

NY POST

POLS GIVE HUSH-HUSH OK FOR U.N. EXPANSION

By KENNETH LOVETT Post Correspondent

November 18, 2004 -- ALBANY — State lawmakers have quietly agreed on a bill that would allow the United Nations to begin planning a controversial major renovation and expansion of its Manhattan headquarters, The Post has learned.

The legislation, which the state Senate is set to approve today, grants the United Nations Development Corp. permission to undertake the required environmental and land-use review processes for the project, which has drawn local opposition.

The bill also temporarily incorporates a nearby park within the UNDC district so the agency can plan for the construction of a 35-story office building on the park site.

The Robert Moses playground, located on First Avenue, between 41st and 42nd streets, would remain open during the planning process.

Now 52 years old, the U.N. Secretariat building needs major structural renovations and security upgrades, Assembly bill sponsor Steven Sanders (D-Manhattan) said.

The new office building on the park site would serve as a temporary home while the U.N. headquarters is renovated.

After the renovation, the office building on the park site would be used to consolidate the U.N. offices that are now spread around Midtown, officials said.

The project has been opposed by the local community board, which feared the loss of the park land, despite a plan to create a new esplanade along the East River.

The legislation was recently agreed upon by the GOP-led state Senate and the Democratic-controlled Assembly and has strong support from the Bloomberg administration. Sanders insisted that it allows only for the planning to move forward and should not be seen as final approval for the project.

"I think there are a lot of people who would just as soon have the U.N. pack its bags — as it occasionally threatens to do — and move elsewhere," Sanders said.

"But the city very much wants the U.N. to remain in the city."

Before the planning begins in earnest, congressional approval will be needed to guarantee a $1 billion to $2 billion loan for the expansion project, he said.

One city official said the Bloomberg administration is confident of congressional support for the project.

With the Senate expected to act on the legislation today, Sanders said the Assembly will likely follow suit in coming weeks.

"This bill is not the end of the process, but the beginning," Sanders said.

State lawmakers have until June 30 to grant final approval to the project.

[vid]

A member at another forums said he has a mother who worked for the UN, and started a thread about this. We never thought it would actually happen though :O

[New Jack City]

Not so great news...

NY POSt

EXPANSION POST-PONED

By KENNETH LOVETT

November 19, 2004 -- ALBANY — The Legislature yesterday abruptly postponed a vote on a measure to expand the U.N. headquarters after a lawmaker fumed that the world body doesn't deserve help because it is "corrupt, ineffective and a drain on New York City resources."

Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) said it wasn't until he read yesterday's Post that he learned the Republican-led state Senate was set to act on the bill. It would launch planning for the renovation of the United Nations and construction of a new 35-story building on nearby city-owned parkland.

Golden was particularly miffed that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has refused to turn over documents to congressional investigators related to the oil-for-food program scandal.

"This is hardly the time to reward an organization that is either thoroughly incompetent or completely corrupt by granting it the ability to build additional buildings in New York City and in our state," Golden said.

While the Senate scrapped the vote, users of the Robert Moses Playground just south of the United Nations complained yesterday about losing land to the new building. The city has promised to make up for the lost park with a new esplanade along the East River.

"Move [the U.N.] to Washington, D.C.," said Rob Hagen, 34. "That's a nice, corrupt town for them to go to."

"It's not like the city has a lot of places people can go and take their dogs," said Robert Kelly, 32, a dog-walker.

City bus driver Ralph Horowitz, 58, said the park serves as a bathroom break for drivers since it's the last stop on the line.

"I'll knock at the door of the U.N. and bother them," Horowitz said of what he'd do if the parkland is lost.

Senate spokesman John McArdle said no decision has been made whether the U.N. legislation will be on the agenda when the Senate meets again next month.

Roy Goodman, a former state senator who now heads the United Nations Development Corp., warned that if the project falls through, the United Nations — and the $3 billion it pumps into the city's economy — could leave New York.

The Post reported yesterday that the Senate and Democratic-controlled state Assembly had quietly agreed on the legislation that would allow the United Nations to start environmental and land-use reviews for the renovations and new building.

[STR]

What doesn't the UN just move to the Freedom Tower? It's not like they're going to have to fight off hoards of other potential tenants.

[Gendo]

Moving the UN to Freedom Tower would just double its appeal as a target of another attack. Not to mention there isn't any big assaembly hall for them to gather in, nor a Security Counsil Chamber in FT's design.

[TICONLA1]

I think this site is a good place to locate the the performing arts, museum (9/11), cultural buildings that will go at the WTC site, of couse with the 35 story office tower, i'm of the opinion that none of these things should be at the WTC site, this is a much better location, keeping the tragedy of 9/11 in the worlds eye!!!!

[STR]

Moving the UN to Freedom Tower would just double its appeal as a target of another attack. Not to mention there isn't any big assaembly hall for them to gather in, nor a Security Counsil Chamber in FT's design.

it's easier to protect one building than two or more. In addition, the FT was designed to take a beating.

As for conference space, they can put the assmply hall in either the top of the tower, or in the so-called "cultural center" right next door. There are plenty of possiblities, you just need to free your mind. ;)

[Gendo]

Still, I don't think ground zero needs to be remade into an even bigger target to be attacked again.

They should tear down the ugly assed UN building and rebuild it bigger and better.

[STR]

^Considering we're talking about the Freedom Tower, I'd think the worst thing that a terrorist could do is to leave it alone.

[jmancuso]

They should tear down the ugly assed UN building and rebuild it bigger and better.

no way, that building is a classic.

http://modelun.uaa.alaska.edu/home/UN-building.jpg

perhaps, a little upadate here and there but to knock it down would be a crime.

[TICONLA1]

I'm with the guy from houston, tearing down the UN building would certainly be a crime, the first modernist/international style office tower in america after the second world war, and what it implies to the result of WW2, tearing this building down is to me, unthinkable. just based on it's historical signifigince! (if this building does not allready have national historic status, it should !!!!)

Having said that, we move to the subject of the addition. i think that 900'000 sq.ft. in 35 floors may be a little fat and squat, maybe 50 storys, smaller footprint, (to please the locals) and not flashy, but to complement the secratariat, and as i said in post #31, all that lowrise crap that is proposed for the WTC site. (smaller footprint so more room for it !!!!!.)

[Gendo]

Sorry guys, I just think the exterior is very bland like most international style buildings. Maybe a face lift would do it wonders. I've seen a few International Style Buildings getting reclad lately.

I also think it sounds like the new building addition will be fat. It should be taller for that square footage. Make it taller and clad it really nice, then reclad the Secretariat to match.

[Vlad the Great]

I think that the UN building now looks alright, depending on the angle, but sometimes it can look downright nasty. I too believe a facelift can do wonders.

Here's what I think would look good there: 50 stories, darker blue glass, a slight curve as well. THAT would be a nice expansion building.

Not gonna happen, but I think it will have large floorplates, and that sounds good. :dance2:

[New Jack City]

NY Times

Dealing Bloomberg a Setback, Senate Balks at U.N. Project

By AL BAKER
Published: December 3, 2004

ALBANY, Dec. 2 - The Republicans who control the State Senate dealt a rebuke to a fellow Republican, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, on Thursday, scuttling legislation he had long championed to allow the United Nations to move forward with a planned renovation and expansion of its headquarters on the East Side of Manhattan.

Passage of a bill to let the United Nations expansion project go forward had been high on the mayor's list of priorities in Albany. But anti-United Nations sentiment among Senate Republicans, who cited everything from diplomats who do not pay their parking tickets to what they called its anti-Israel and anti-American stances, has stopped the proposal for now.

Mayor Bloomberg has been a strong backer of the United Nations and its expansion efforts. He appointed his sister, Marjorie Tiven, as commissioner for the United Nations Consular Corps and Protocol, the principal liaison between the diplomatic community and the city. And the mayor speaks with pride of his opportunity to address the General Assembly.

But as they returned for a special legislative session next week, the Senate Republicans questioned how they could authorize $600 million in bonds to pay for the project, particularly since it would be backed by fees from United Nations member nations who reportedly owe more than $195 million in fines from violations of city parking laws.

"How can we trust the U.N. nations to pay the fees to pay off this debt when they don't even pay their parking fines?" said Joseph L. Bruno, the Senate's Republican majority leader.

Other Senate Republicans expressed anger at the United Nations over charges that Saddam Hussein had abused its food-for-oil program.

In announcing the Senate's intentions, Mr. Bruno left open the possibility that the legislation might be reconsidered once concerns are addressed.

Gov. George E. Pataki has said he will probably sign the bill if it is passed.

Andrew M. Alper, the president of the city's Economic Development Corporation, said the United Nations is a valuable asset that "makes a major contribution to New York City's reputation as an international city." He said that "the Bloomberg administration is committed to working with the U.N. and the surrounding community to develop an acceptable renovation plan."

The move was a blow to Mr. Bloomberg in Albany, and could reflect a changed atmosphere in the Senate. The number of Republican senators from New York City was reduced on Election Day to four members, from six, so there are two fewer Republicans from the city whom Mr. Bloomberg can lobby to push items on his state agenda.

[STR]

"$195 million in fines"

Holy sh*t! That's a lot of violations.

[New Jack City]

NY Daily News

Council split on UN plan
Expanding HQ stirs debate

BY FRANK LOMBARDI
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU

A split erupted yesterday within the usually lockstep City Council over the United Nations' controversial plan to expand its headquarters.

Dueling nonbinding resolutions were introduced at yesterday's Council session by groups of members who support or oppose the UN's bid to erect a 35-story office tower in a park next to its building on First Ave.

The UN expansion project is stalled in Albany, where it needs approvals from the state Legislature and Gov. Pataki.

One of the dueling Council resolutions urges Albany officials to approve the expansion and the other urges that they to deny it. Both are merely advisory.

However, should the UN expansion be approved by Albany, the project would have to go through a land-use review process in which the City Council would have the last official say.

Council opponents of the expansion blasted the UN as "a cesspool of evil" that is united only in its opposition to the U.S. and Israel.

Those who favored the expansion said the UN "promotes peace throughout the world."

Councilman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), a lead sponsor of the anti-expansion resolution, argued that the UN "has a record of abetting terrorism and fighting democracy."

Allies who joined Felder at a City Hall press conference included Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Queens), the chairwoman of the Land Use Committee, which would have a pivotal say in whether the Council would formally approve the expansion.

Also backing Felder's effort was Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), who said that rather expanding here, the UN should "relocate to Mozambique or maybe places like Paris."

The Council faction supporting the expansion held its own press conference, led by Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn.)

"Why you would want to move the UN because it's not doing the bidding of any one or two nations is beyond my conception," said Barron, contending that the expansion project would add to the $2 billion in annual economic benefits generated for the city by UN employees and UN-related tourism.

While he didn't take a position on either resolution, Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan) said he is "generally for preserving the United Nations in the City of New York and allowing them to expand."

Mayor Bloomberg has actively supported the UN expansion plan.

Originally published on December 16, 2004

[giergel]

The old building of the UN is the most ugly one I've seen. It's not a classic, it a discrace for a city like New York. They should demolish it!

[Gendo]

I'm still waiting for a rendering of the project before I pass judgement on it.

[Hitesh]

is there a rendering available yet

[Vlad the Great]

No rendering but news:

NY POST

U.N.'S BORO HAUL

By PATRICK GALLAHUE

February 10, 2005 -- The United Nations is looking at the outer boroughs for a controversial new building to house its interim headquarters, The Post has learned.

Downtown Brooklyn and Queens are being considered as sites for a massive project to house U.N operations while the organization's historic Manhattan headquarters undergoes a $1.2 billion upgrade, sources said.

Although the project was being planned as a temporary facility, that could change once the United Nations is settled in the outer boroughs, one of the sources said. "This could be a permanent site," the source said.

"It's one of the world's major institutions and it would only help Downtown Brooklyn develop as a business district," said Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn), who added he was unaware of the plans.

The proposed 35-story, $650 million auxiliary building — which U.N. planners call "swing space" — was to be built on Robert Moses Park, a playground next to the U.N. headquarters, but was stalled by the state Senate.

The towering new building was intended to host all operations while security upgrades, safety-system improvements and an expansion of the meeting facilities are completed on the 52-year-old Secretariat building.

Once the renovation is finished — which could take 10 years or more — the new building was intended to become a permanent office for workers now scattered throughout multiple buildings on the East Side.

But now, with earlier plans indefinitely stalled, sources said the United Nations, which had been dead set on staying in Manhattan, has set its sights on other possibilities in the outer boroughs.

"This is the first I've heard they would explore outside of Manhattan," said state Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), whose district contains the United Nations. She said she knew they would consider other sites in existing commercial buildings in Manhattan.

Krueger, who supports keeping the United Nations in New York, was enthusiastic about the outer-borough potential and said, "It's about the city of New York."

A spokesman for the United Nations declined to comment.

The United Nations ironically traces its roots back to Queens.

Then-Parks Commissioner Robert Moses converted a skating rink on the 1939 World's Fair grounds in Flushing Meadows Park into a makeshift general assembly hall in the late '40s before construction of the nine-acre U.N. campus between 42nd and 49th streets on Manhattan's East Side.

[New Jack City]

NY Sun

Congress Turns Up Heat on U.N. Headquarters

BY MEGHAN CLYNE
March 29, 2005

Amid snowballing reports of U.N. corruption, the world body's plans to renovate and expand its headquarters in Turtle Bay are beginning to draw attention from Washington, where members of the House Committee on International Relations have announced their intention to expose the project to greater scrutiny and to consider using it as leverage to extract institutional reforms from the United Nations.

Leading the charge is a Republican congresswoman from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is a senior member of the committee and a longtime critic of the United Nations.

In a press release last week, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen said: "Given the wholesale lack of institutional transparency and accountability at the United Nations, it is imperative that we closely examine the $1.2 billion that the U.N. will be utilizing for the rehabilitation and refurbishment of the current U.N. headquarters building, in addition to the construction of a 35-story, 900,000-square-foot annex."

The congresswoman referred to a $1.2 billion low-interest loan, approved by Congress and President Bush last fall, for the purpose of renovating the Secretariat Building and other U.N. headquarters facilities. The 35-story annex, to be built over a city park adjacent to the United Nations' Turtle Bay compound, is to be financed by $650 million in bonds issued by the United Nations Development Corporation, a New York city-state entity. Since U.N. officials have said the world body will repay in full both the $1.2 billion and $650 million sums, American taxpayers - who shoulder 22% of the U.N. operating budget - can expect to pay more than $400 million for the project.

Questioning the priorities of the world body, and the demands it places on American taxpayers, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen concluded: "When there is such a need for additional resources to provide technical assistance for political development and civil society, health, and education, should the contributions of countries be diverted to making the U.N. bureaucrats in New York more comfortable? Certainly not! The U.S. taxpayer must not continue to be bled white by an unaccountable U.N. bureaucracy."

Corresponding by e-mail, the congresswoman explained that Secretary-General Annan's recent requests for additional funds and resources had prompted her to review U.N. budgeting, including the expansion project.

In addition to demanding greater investigation into the construction project, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen described its usefulness as a means of demanding institutional reforms from the United Nations.

"Past U.S. efforts to reform the U.N. have made frequent use of America's financial leverage as the organization's largest contributor," she said. "The reason for this is that the United States has few options to force reform on an unwilling organization. However, this is a matter of undertaking the necessary institutional measures to ensure that U.S. taxpayer funds are spent by the United Nations in a transparent manner."

How to extract accountability from the United Nations by using the expansion project and America's U.N. dues will be addressed by the International Relations Committee in coming months as it takes up biennial legislation, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, that determines and approves American contributions to international organizations.

Folded into the Foreign Relations Authorization Act will be the committee's U.N. reform proposals, which may include demands for whistleblower protection, international standards of accounting, reform of various U.N. commissions, more discipline in budgeting, increased financial disclosure, peacekeeping reform, and merit hiring, a House Republican aide said yesterday.

Members of the committee said the legislation could reduce American funds for the United Nations if the world body failed to comply with its demands.

American support for the U.N. expansion project could also be included in the bargaining, the aide, who asked not to be named, said. The aide added that the committee's chairman, Henry Hyde, a Republican of Illinois, "is definitely aware" of the concerns regarding the world body's renovations.

A New York Republican on the committee, Peter King of Long Island, said he agreed with Ms. Ros-Lehtinen about the need for greater scrutiny of the renovation project.

"Before we give them a penny, this has to go under the microscope," Mr. King said.

"So much has come out involving the U.N.," the congressman said, referring to recent scandals, "that if we keep giving them money like this, we end up becoming enablers."

Mr. King said he expected the committee to fully investigate the finances of the renovation project and anticipated congressional hearings examining the proposed construction.

Another New York congressman who serves on the committee, Eliot Engel, a Democrat of the Bronx, disputed the connection between the renovation and past U.N. corruption, however. Mr. Engel said that while he is "absolutely disgusted" by the oil-for-food scandal, "the anti-Americanism that spews forth from the U.N.," and the world body's "anti-Semitic, anti-Israel nonsense," he believes they must be viewed as things apart from the construction project.

"I think New York City has benefited by having the U.N. in our city. I think it creates jobs ... and in terms of having people work in New York and live in New York, it helps the economy," Mr. Engel said.

Yet he did suggest that the International Relations Committee ask for assurances of greater transparency in U.N. construction projects. Mr. Engel said safeguards should accompany the release of American funds for the U.N. expansion.

He said he would not be opposed to committee hearings into the project, but cautioned against erecting insurmountable obstacles to the renovation taking place.

A member of New York City's congressional delegation who is running for mayor, Anthony Weiner, seemed to align more with Mr. King and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen in his views of the U.N. project.

"I believe we should be using the U.N. expansion as a hook for all kinds of U.N. reforms," Mr. Weiner, a Democrat whose district straddles the Brooklyn-Queens border, said.

The reforms he sought range from demanding improvements in U.N. financial management to "improving their accountability on even basic things like parking tickets." The mayoral candidate called the proposed expansion a "rare bite at the apple" for New York residents looking to discuss the United Nations' institutional values and its worth to the city.

In particular, Mr. Weiner said, he questioned "whether their continuing screed against Israel is something that they should be allowed to continue without any accountability when they're in a city with such a large Jewish population."

Mr. Weiner said he supported his congressional colleagues in their efforts to use the U.N. expansion as leverage to demand reform from the organization. "Even the U.N. supporters I've spoken to in Congress have lamented the lack of accountability and the lack of true reform at the U.N.," he said. "The U.N. expansion gives us a chance to turn those laments into real changes."

Mr. Weiner faulted Mayor Bloomberg, in particular, for his "unwillingness to take up some of these issues" at the local level, calling the silence "a real blind spot on his part."

A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, Ed Skyler, responded by reaffirming the administration's commitment to the project, adding that the city's Economic Development Corporation and Parks Department are continuing to meet with community organizations to address acceptable mitigation for the parkland that would be lost as part of the project.

Mr. Skyler also touted the value of the United Nations to the city, repeating administration assertions that it supports thousands of jobs and contributes more than $2.5 billion a year to the local economy.

"The U.N. is visited by 800,000 people annually and makes a major contribution to New York's reputation as an international city," Mr. Skyler said.

The United Nations, too, highlighted the organization's value to New York, while maintaining that the renovation project is necessary to ensure the safety of staff working there.

A U.N. spokesman, Farhan Haq, said in a statement to The New York Sun that the proposal "is an essential upgrading of a building that hasn't been refurbished in a half century."

"We hope the people of New York will see the construction activity to be in all of our best interests," the statement said.

[New Jack City]

The Donald might be getting involved...

NY POST

U.N. BUILD PLAN HITS A BUMP IN TRUMP

April 7, 2005 -- The United Nations has yet to hire a company to renovate its New York headquarters, but Donald Trump and a senator are already making the case to say "You're fired" if the cost comes close to the expected $1.2 billion.

After speaking yesterday with Trump, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) introduced a measure that would cap the loan at $600 million.

Trump told Sessions, a longtime critic of the United Nations, that he could do the job better — and at $500 million. Trump said the officials never got back to him.

"I think Congress should be ashamed of themselves if they let them spend $1.2 billion on renovating a building that should cost less than $500 million," Trump said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"Someone's going to make a fortune on this."

Last year, President Bush proposed and Congress agreed to a $1.2 billion loan for the project over 30 years, financed at 5.5 percent interest. The United Nations has not accepted the loan, so Sessions' measure — if approved — could cut the amount in half.

"The U.N., as we know, is notoriously wasteful in spending its money," Sessions said in a Senate speech. "I wish that weren't so, but it's just a plain fact."

[New York Yankee]

why? the 'old' UN building is good, but as there come an new high building, higher than this one, than it's better news.

any news or pictures?

[TalB]

REUTERS

Brooklyn to U.N.: 'We'd love to have you'

Fri Jun 17, 2005
By Irwin Arieff

UNITED NATIONS, June 17 (Reuters) - Many Americans these days would love to see the United Nations move to Africa or France, but Brooklyn came courting on Friday, telling the world body, "We'd love to have you!"

Brooklyn President Marty Markowitz paid a call on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to give him a Brooklyn lapel pin, a model of the Brooklyn Bridge and a clear message: He would be delighted if the United Nations moved temporarily across the East River to his borough while it renovates its Manhattan headquarters.

"This is sort of like the highest honor that I have and that is the official replica of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a way of showing you that we would really welcome you. We really would," he told the U.N leader.

Even temporarily, "we'd love to have you," he said.

Annan, though polite, gave no sign a marrying of interests was imminent.

"As you know, we haven't taken a decision," he said coyly.

A top-to-bottom renovation of the main U.N. secretariat building is due to begin in 2007, although the $1.2 billion in needed financing is not yet locked in place.

But the plan requires moving the staff to a new site for a few years while the work is done.

The initial idea was to build a new 30-story office tower in Robert Moses Park right down the street from U.N. headquarters. But that ran into a brick wall when the New York State Legislature, caught up in a wave of anti-U.N. sentiment in the United States, declined to give the necessary approval.

So U.N. officials began scouring the area for alternatives. After looking at more than 100 sites, they said last month that they had found only a single one -- in downtown Brooklyn -- able to accommodate both U.N. staff and conferences.

With a final decision due by the end of September, officials said they were still examining their options.

One idea is to lease Manhattan office space and build a temporary conference building nearby.

Another is to temporarily park a cruise ship or two alongside the headquarters compound's East River waterfront.

[TalB]

http://www.nydailynews.com/07-20-2005/news/wn_report/story/329752p-281825c.html
Trump targets UN makeover

BY ELIZABETH S. WIDDICOMBE
DAILY NEWS WRITER

WASHINGTON - Washington has called in The Donald to blast the UN's plans for a pricey renovation.

Trump is the key witness tomorrow at a Senate hearing looking to find out if the $1.2 billion the UN says it needs to spiff up its midtown headquarters is excessive.

The tough-talking real estate mogul, who built his 90-story Trump World Tower only a block away from the UN's East Side headquarters, clearly thinks so. The project "should cost less than $500million," he said in April. "Somebody's going to make a fortune on this."

Although President Bush has offered a 30-year loan to fund the project, some lawmakers argue that American taxpayers, who already shell out 22% of UN operating costs, are being duped. The UN is holding out for an interest-free loan.

"Congress has a moral responsibility to be good stewards of the American people's generosity concerning UN funding," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), chairman of the homeland security and governmental affairs subcommittee.

Originally published on July 20, 2005

[STR]

I say let trump renovate the UN, even make it part of the next season of The Apprentice. Just shamelessly market the hell out of the UN as badly and as tastelessly as Trump is capable of.

In fact, make the winner the season the new Secretary General. :yes:

[Ellatur]

^haha good idea

[New Jack City]

Trump suggests the UN should abandon their HQ and move to the WTC site...

NY Sun

Trump Tells Congress U.N. Should Abandon Turtle Bay

BY MEGHAN CLYNE - Staff Reporter of the Sun
July 22, 2005

WASHINGTON - The U.N. renovation project will probably cost $3 billion - more than double the United Nations's estimate of $1.2 billion, and more than four times the $700 million the project would cost if it were being managed competently, real estate developer Donald Trump told senators here yesterday.

The best solution to the United Nations' refurbishment woes would be for the organization to abandon its current Turtle Bay headquarters entirely and relocate to the new office towers being built at ground zero, Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump's assessments were delivered in testimony before the U.S. Senate subcommittee on federal financial management, government information, and international security. The chairman of the subcommittee, Senator Coburn, a Republican of Oklahoma, investigates cases of waste and financial mismanagement at the federal level.

One such case, Dr. Coburn has said, is the U.N.'s plan to undertake a complete renovation of its headquarters at Turtle Bay, at a cost of $1.2 billion, 22% of which would be shouldered by American taxpayers. The renovations - set to begin in 2007 and expected to take five years - would be financed by America in the form of a $1.2 billion, 30-year loan at 5.54% interest offered last fall by the Bush administration.

As The New York Sun reported in February, the $1.2 billion price tag for the project appeared exorbitant to many New York real estate developers, including Mr. Trump. Their concern begat alarm in Washington, where legislators, particularly Senator Sessions, a Republican of Alabama, have launched a campaign to limit the amount of America's loan and make it contingent on greater transparency in the U.N.'s construction.

Mr. Trump said the construction of the brand-new Trump World Tower - a 90-story luxury residential complex in Turtle Bay - cost roughly half what the United Nations expects to spend on the renovation on a per-square-foot basis.

"Anyone who says that building renovation is more expensive than building a new building doesn't know the business," the developer said. "It only costs a fool more money."

Mr. Trump said that, as a result of meetings with Secretary-General Annan and conversations with other U.N. officials, he had come to the conclusion that the world body was being "naive," at best, in its approach to the renovations. "I'm going to predict that it will cost over $3 billion because they just don't know" what they're doing, Mr. Trump said of the project. "In my real opinion, it should cost around $700 million," he added.

His "dream," the developer added, would be "to take the United Nations and move it to the World Trade Center as a brand-new U.N., and sell the U.N. site for much more money" than the renovation would cost.

Mr. Trump conceded that such a move was unlikely. As the Sun reported in December, the United Nations was offered space at ground zero in 2002 and turned it down, citing an excessively taxing commute for U.N. employees living in Midtown.

The developer appeared at the hearing at the invitation of Mr. Sessions, who joined Mr. Trump as a witness. Mr. Sessions, along with Dr. Coburn, expressed grave concern about the U.N.'s unwillingness to provide information to the Senate about the renovation project, including a cost breakdown, auditing records, and material about the design work done on the project.

In view of the lack of transparency, Mr. Sessions and Dr. Coburn pledged their continued vigilance of the project at yesterday's hearing. "Congressional oversight on this project is only beginning," Dr. Coburn said. "This committee will not let go of this issue, period," he added.

Legislation introduced by Mr. Sessions to cap at $600 million the amount of any American loan to the U.N. for the purposes of renovation was passed unanimously by the Senate on Wednesday.

The legislation was nonbinding, but both Dr. Coburn and Mr. Sessions have promised to continue their efforts to prevent wasting American taxpayers' dollars. In light of the concerns raised by Mr. Trump and others at yesterday's hearing, Dr. Coburn said, "There ought to be a complete stop until they've really looked at this."

Mr. Trump offered to manage the renovation free of charge, promising to keep the cost down and start on the project within months by eliminating the concept of "swing space," which he labeled "asinine."

The United Nations claims that it must vacate its headquarters entirely during the renovation process owing to threats posed by asbestos. It had initially sought to erect a 35-story edifice over a neighboring city park for the purpose, at a cost of an additional $650 million on top of the $1.2 billion renovation cost.

The world body's plans were stymied, however, by the New York State Legislature, which refused to approve the bill necessary for the U.N. to use the parkland. New York State was represented at the hearing one of the legislature's leading opponents to the U.N. expansion project, state Senator Martin Golden, a Republican of Brooklyn, who testified on the panel with Mr. Trump. Both the developer and Mr. Golden were introduced by Rep. Vito Fossella, a Republican from Staten Island.

Mr. Trump said he could save the U.N. the cost of its backup plan to the "swing space" - renting commercial space in Manhattan during the renovations - by completing the refurbishment without having to relocate staff.

The U.N.'s recently appointed undersecretary general for management, Christopher Burnham, responded after the hearing via a U.N. spokeswoman: "The U.N. would encourage him to bid on the project."

Mr. Burnham, an American, represented the world body at yesterday's hearings. He promised that the renovation would be run on the up-and-up. "You can rest assured I'm going to run a lean operation," Mr. Burnham said, citing his past experience and integrity as a top financial officer for the State Department and in the private sector.

Mr. Burnham has, among other posts, served as the treasurer of the state of Connecticut, and his departure from the position in 1997 prompted criticism from the state's Democrats and ethics commission over a possible conflict of interests. According to a New York Times report, Mr. Burnham vacated the job to become president and chief executive officer of Columbus Circle Investments in Stamford, Conn. The firm had been hired 14 months earlier to manage $150 million in pension funds for the treasurer's office.

[Flatiron]

Trump is a cunt.

I am so sick of this piece of gurning shit, I could tear out ihis eyeballs and shove them up his STD-oozing piss-slit.

HAS ANYONE NOTICED THAT THE CUNT HAS DECLARED BANKRUPTCY TWICE???? THIS IS THE CRETIN YOU WANT CALLING THE SHOTS ON A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE DEAL??

KILL THE CUNT!!!!

[The Mad Hatter!!]

can trump keep his mouth shut for more than a week,he always either talking shit,declaring bankruptcy sueing someone or talking about how great he is........i think trump--needs to fire himself,

[Dale]

I don't see where a twice-bankrupt man should be forced to relinquish moral capital, in a debate over fiscal sanity, with the federal government.

[Flatiron]

Well, hells bells, Dean, you'd probably deed the place to Enron in the name of neo-con madmen everywhere.

If Trump had a brain cell in his misshapen head not poisoned by pink hair spray, he'd stick to bilking rich Asians for substandard apartments and fucking that leathette ex-porn star wife of his.

[Dale]

Which, I suspect, you'd find titillating.

[Flatiron]

Yes. The thought of Enron in the UN Building makes me soooooooooooooooooo hard.

[Dale]

FABULOUS !

*said with hands on hips...fingers downward...elbows splayed out*

[bagel]

It's so transparent that his interests are not for the benefit of the federal government saving money but for a developer like him to claim some very valuable midtown property. That satchel of land was granted in perpetuity to the United Nations.

[AJphx]

well I don't know why everyone is freaking out. He is just giving some ideas, and it sounds like a good idea too.

[New Jack City]

NY POST

TRUMP TO SENATE: I'D 'FIRE' UP U.N. REHAB

By DEVLIN BARRETT

July 22, 2005 -- WASHINGTON — Reality TV impresario Donald Trump gave Congress a crash course yesterday in his first love: real-estate development.

The tutorial from the supremely self-assured Trump was aimed at convincing senators the United Nations will pay too much renovating its aging New York City headquarters.

Lesson No. 1: New York is nasty.

"We have major slime in New York, and much of that is in the form of contractors," Trump said, as the packed Senate hearing room burst out laughing. "Isn't that a sad thing to say? And every one of them, I guarantee you, will find their way to the United Nations."

The United Nations is planning a $1.2 billion overhaul of its aging 39-story headquarters on the East Side.

The world body plans to move employees out of the building while much of the work is done.

Congressional leaders have criticized the U.N. renovations plan as overpriced and said they are concerned a $1.2 billion loan from the federal government may be a bad deal for taxpayers.

Trump warned it could cost the United Nations much more, particularly if it tries to find temporary office space elsewhere in the city.

"If you know New York City landlords, and some of you do, they are the worst human beings on earth," he said.

Lesson No. 2: The United Nations will end up paying dearly for what it doesn't know.

"They don't know what they want, they don't know what they have, they don't know what they're doing," Trump said, predicting that if the United Nations continues with its current plan the cost will balloon to $3 billion.

Four years ago, Trump offered to do the work for about $400 million.

Lesson No. 3: Trump is a very smart, very rich man, who only wants to help.

The star of NBC's "The Apprentice" said the project was no more challenging than refurbishing the skating rink in Central Park, which he did many years ago when the city couldn't.

"This is a bigger version of the Wollman skating rink, that's all it is to me," he said. "I don't want any money. I want nothing."

Usually loquacious politicians turned into rapt pupils for much of Trump's testimony, which he delivered with his model wife Melania Knauss seated behind him.

When Trump finished, Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.), said simply: "When can you start?"

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) chaired the Senate hearing and repeatedly criticized the cost of the project and what he said was the U.N.'s reluctance to divulge details.

"The United Nations has not cooperated in good faith with this committee's investigation," Coburn said.

Christopher Burnham, a former Department of State official newly appointed to oversee the building project as U.N. undersecretary-general for management, promised to run "a lean, mean operation."

Burnham said the one thing the United Nations can't do is delay work on the aging headquarters.

"This complex fails to meet minimum fire code, building code, safety code [standards] and lacks modern sufficient security," he said. "It's riddled with asbestos, including dripping from the insides of my air conditioning unit that's three feet from my desk." AP

[TalB]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/354442p-302191c.html
New-nited Nations

Staying in midtown during rehab

By PAUL D. COLFORD
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/701-un_new.JPG
This 31-story building at 485 Lexington Ave. was early choice for UN during renovations, but NYPD reportedly had security concerns.

The United Nations plans to scatter employees among as many as four midtown buildings while its landmark headquarters is renovated starting in 2007.

Downtown Brooklyn, identified by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan last spring as a possible site for temporary offices, apparently is no longer under consideration.

"At this stage, what we're looking at is midtown," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said yesterday.

The UN recently invited architectural companies to come forward if they want to be considered for a project renovating and furnishing 560,000 square feet of office space and 80,000 square feet of library space in midtown.

"It is anticipated that there will be two to four building locations to cover this swing space requirement," the UN's invitation said.

Haq said the UN has yet to choose the midtown buildings it will occupy temporarily.

The $1.2 billion renovation of UN headquarters, opened in 1951, will force 2,700 employees to relocate for five years.

"We're still studying a variety of options to see how we can move staff efficiently and at the least overall expense," Haq added.

"We expect to have proposals in mid-November. Ultimately, it's up to the General Assembly to decide."

Sources said the Police Department raised security concerns about the UN's earlier interest in consolidating staff at one location. The 31-story building at 485 Lexington Ave. was identified as a possible choice.

Yesterday, the NYPD said it had no comment on security issues involving the UN.

In addition, the UN will be seeking architects to design and furnish a 150,000- square-foot temporary building, two to three stories tall, on the UN campus.

It would contain "18 conference room/auditoriums ... small office area, cafe area, medical area and broadcast studios," the invitation said.

Although Brooklyn appears to be out of the running, a spokeswoman at Brooklyn Borough Hall said yesterday that as far as she knows, the borough "is still on the table."

The UN's search for swing space accelerated this year because state lawmakers didn't approve legislation allowing the organization to build a 35-story tower on Robert Moses Playground, just south of its headquarters.

Once the headquarters could be reoccupied, the new tower would have been taken over by other UN staffers already spread around Manhattan.

Originally published on October 11, 2005

[wardrobes]

nice

[jacobboyer]

Why would they move the U.N. out of the most powerful country on earth and into Canada.

[Dale]

Why would they move the U.N. out of the most powerful country on earth and into Canada.

Well, for one thing, it's not terribly well respected in America. Certainly most Americans wouldn't miss it.

[TalB]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/366803p-312235c.html
UN may build temporary hall in $1.6B rehab plan

BY PAUL D. COLFORD
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The United Nations would build a temporary conference hall on its north lawn for General Assembly meetings under a $1.6 billion master plan endorsed yesterday by Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The 100,000-square-foot structure would be in use during an extensive renovation of the UN's landmark headquarters that's due to run through 2013.

In a report, Annan called on the General Assembly to approve the plan, which also calls for the leasing of temporary office space in midtown and space for its Dag Hammarskjold library in Long Island City, Queens.

The $1.6 billion price tag was said to be 55% higher than anticipated a few years ago because New York state lawmakers have blocked the UN's plan to build a 35story office tower on the nearby Robert Moses Playground. The tower was to house employees during renovations and consolidate UN staffers already scattered among other sites in Manhattan.

A bill that would submit the tower to the city's land-use review - the first step in the approval process - has languished in Albany because of anger over the UN's oil-for-food scandal and other grievances.

Though former state Sen. Roy Goodman, CEO of the United Nations Development Corp., said he's still optimistic lawmakers will let the UN proceed on the tower, perhaps early next year, the forecast in Albany is bleak.

"We have not acted on the bill and we don't have any plans to," Mark Hansen, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, said yesterday.

Originally published on November 18, 2005

[hkskyline]

New York, UN discuss possible peacekeeping cooperation

UNITED NATIONS, April 11, 2007 (AFP) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with UN chief Ban Ki-moon here Wednesday for talks focusing on possible city police cooperation in UN peacekeeping operations, a UN spokeswoman said.

Marie Okabe, the UN deputy spokeswoman, said the UN secretary general and Bloomberg discussed possible contribution by the New York Police Department to UN peacekeeping.

"New York City has one of the most diversified police forces around," she said. "Getting police to join (UN) peacekeeping operations is one of the high priorities for the UN."

Okabe told AFP after the meeting that Bloomberg "was open to the proposal."

"But it was not meant to elicit an immediate response," she said, stressing that the discussions on the issue were "exploratory."

Ban and Bloomberg also discussed New York City's support for the massive renovation of the United Nations' crumbling New York headquarters.

The talks also centered on efforts to make the future UN headquarters more environmentally friendly and bring it in line with New York City fire safety codes.

Okabe said Ban had tasked the UN department of management to work with the New York Fire Department on ways to improve fire safety at the UN.

Under the plan, estimated to cost 1.87 billion dollars (1.4 billion euros), the UN headquarters complex, a major tourist attraction, is to be completely renovated beginning this summer to bring it into conformity with city health and safety codes while improving security.

The main UN headquarters buildings were built between 1949 and 1951 and have not been significantly overhauled or maintained since then.

The complex has a leaking roof, is riddled with asbestos and lacks fire detectors, a sprinkler system and other emergency safety devices.

Under the plan, 10 of the main compound's 39 floors would be evacuated at a time to allow the structure to be renovated in four stages.

Ten office floors would be leased in central Manhattan and additional space would be leased on Long Island to temporarily house the UN library.

[Don Omar]

Near the U.N., a Run on Office Space

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/06/13/business/13embassy.600.jpg
Torben Gettermann, the Danish consul general, renewed Denmark’s lease early.

By J. ALEX TARQUINIO
Published: June 13, 2007
nytimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/realestate/commercial/13embassy.html?ref=realestate)

The United Nations has been wrestling with how to renovate its headquarters in New York for nearly a decade. The creaky Secretariat and General Assembly buildings, perched along the East River in Midtown Manhattan, have not been refurbished since they were completed in 1952. Even the original mechanical and engineering systems are still in place.

The really tricky part was deciding where to house the United Nations while a renovation project was being completed. There was even some talk of picking up stakes and temporarily moving the United Nations to either Brooklyn or Queens.

But in December, the General Assembly approved a $1.9 billion plan that will keep it in Manhattan for the duration of this project. Only about 1,000 of the 3,500 employees will have to move out of the main complex, and most of them will be in temporary offices nearby. Werner Schmidt, a United Nations spokesman for the renovation project, said that work could begin early next year and should be completed by 2015.

The United Nations itself is not the only entity investing heavily in this neighborhood. The diplomatic offices of some governments — as well as nongovernmental organizations, or N.G.O.’s, working with the world body — have started renewing their leases early or are buying or renovating office space nearby. The countries involved range from small island nations to the United States, which is completely rebuilding its permanent mission directly opposite the United Nations.

Although many diplomats now scoff at the notion that moving to Brooklyn or Queens was ever a serious option, they say the approval of the renovation plans, known as the Capital Master Plan, has given them confidence to make their own real estate plans.

“The government of Angola prefers to purchase real estate in those capitals where we are going to be for a long time, and we hope the United Nations is going to be in this location for many, many years,” said Ismael Gaspar Martins, Angola’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Angola’s permanent mission to the United Nations is now housed in a brownstone that it has owned on Manhattan’s Upper East Side since the 1970s. But Mr. Martins said the building, on East 73rd Street between Lexington and Park Avenues, is rather far from the United Nations.

So Angola recently purchased the entire 12th floor of the building at 820 Second Avenue, at 44th Street. It is renovating the space, which totals more than 11,500 square feet, and Mr. Martins said he hoped that the employees would be able to move in before the next General Assembly session in the fall.

The building, which is just steps away from the United Nations, is also known as Diplomat Center because so many governments maintain their permanent missions to the United Nations there.

Philips International, a New York developer, bought roughly 70 percent of the office space in this 19-story building and all of the retail space for $48 million last year. The rest of the building had already been sold as office condominiums to a number of buyers, including the governments of Croatia, Nepal, Syria and Peru.

Some other governments have leased space in the building for years. Andrew Aberham, vice president for sales and leasing at Philips International, said that all the tenants would be allowed to renew their leases if they chose not to buy their space. He also said that Philips planned to retain all of the retail space, covering almost 12,000 square feet, and to renovate the lobby.

The republic of Madagascar, which had a little less than a year left on its lease, opted to buy its office two weeks ago. Madagascar purchased nearly 7,000 square feet, or a little more than half of the eighth floor. The government of Nicaragua rents the other half.

Philips is asking about $675 a square foot for the office condominiums. “I think that is typical for the market now, because we’ve been selling close to that number,” Mr. Aberham said.

Some governments that prefer to rent near the United Nations are taking the unusual step of renewing their leases years before they expire in order to lock in prices, even though this means paying higher rents sooner rather than later.

They are primarily motivated by soaring rents. The average rent for office space east of Third Avenue from 35th to 61st Streets, jumped more than 27 percent in the last 12 months, to about $68 a square foot, according to CB Richard Ellis.

So in April, the government of Denmark renewed its lease about a year and a half early at 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, which is at 885 Second Avenue at 47th Street. “I thought if we renewed early we would be able to secure a more reasonable rate,” said Torben A. Gettermann, the Danish consul general in New York.

Denmark’s offices occupy all of the 18th floor and about half of the 17th floor, and include both the mission to the United Nations and the Royal Danish Consulate General.

Many consulates in New York are along Fifth Avenue, but Mr. Gettermann said that it made sense to share space near the United Nations because “we have a tremendous traffic of people from Denmark — politicians, N.G.O.’s and anyone interested in the United Nations — who all pass through our offices.”

The republic of Ireland leases the entire 19th floor of 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. The Irish mission to the United Nations was something of a trendsetter when it renewed its lease for the space, which is roughly 16,000 square feet, two years early in 2005. It secured a 13-year lease, which is relatively long in Manhattan, where landlords usually prefer to sign 10-year leases, said Matthew McBride, a broker at CB Richard Ellis, who represented the Irish mission in the lease negotiations.

Sean McDonald, Ireland’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the Irish government felt fortunate to have renewed its lease right before the big spike in rents.

“If you looked at what was happening with the Capital Master Plan at that time, it seemed pretty certain that there was no question of moving out of town,” Mr. McDonald said. “I don’t think it was ever realistic to think that we were moving to Brooklyn.”

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/06/13/business/13embassy1.190.jpg
The Diplomat Center.

[New Jack City]

NY Sun

Firm Chosen for U.N. Project Preparation

By BENNY AVNI

Staff Reporter of the Sun

July 26, 2007 posted 7:35 pm EDT

Skanska USA Building Inc., a Swedish-owned construction firm that has been involved in large projects in New York, was picked by the United Nations to conduct the preconstruction phase of a $1.9 billion project to refurbish the Turtle Bay building, known as the Capital Master Plan, according to several sources.

The United Nations' Undersecretary General for Management, Alicia Barcena, is expected to announce the deal with Skanska tomorrow at a U.N. press conference The company would be in a favorable position to conduct the construction, a project potentially worth at least $1 billion. For now, however, Skanska had only been hired to do the preparation phase toward the project, scheduled to be launched early next year.

[Don Omar]

After 10 Years and 3 Plans, U.N. Renovation Is in Sight

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/11/28/world/28nations.xlarge1.jpg
The widely recognized postwar modern exteriors of the 55-year-old steel and glass Secretariat tower and its companion General Assembly Hall have aged well, but inside, the years have taken their toll. The $1.876 billion project is scheduled to take five years.

By WARREN HOGE
Published: November 28, 2007
nytimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/world/28nations.html?hp)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 27 — Cruise ships, barges, islands, tent settlements, a 30-story annex, a Wal-Mart-size building, even Brooklyn.

All of them have been proposed by increasingly desperate United Nations officials as the place to locate thousands of employees and delegates while the organization’s stylishly timeless but dangerously antiquated 39-story headquarters are refurbished.

This decade-long search has ended now with a decision to begin a five-year, $1.876 billion renovation of the complex in the spring and to house the 2,600 people who must move out in rented space in Manhattan, across the East River in Long Island City and a temporary conference building on the United Nations campus.

The 55-year-old steel and glass Secretariat tower and its companion General Assembly Hall, sleek and shapely icons of postwar modernism, still look smashing from the outside, but their interiors are not wearing their years as well.

Periodic surveys have cited asbestos insulation, lead paint, outmoded plumbing and electrical systems, lack of sprinklers, frequent power shutdowns and leaking roofs.

Those failings are serious, as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg underlined in October by demanding that the organization immediately improve its fire safety plans with sprinklers, smoke detectors and exit signs or he would prohibit visits by city students to the building and alert the public to the danger. The United Nations has pledged to make the adjustments in the coming months.

But there are also quaint reminders of just how dated the installation is.

Many of the companies that made the internal machinery have gone out of business, so the United Nations has its own shop to make replacement parts, and the originals are prized by industrial museums.

On the 28th floor, a padlocked room housing electrical transformers has a “High Voltage” warning sign on its door that advises, “In case of necessity, call MUrray Hill 2-4477.” New York abandoned name telephone exchanges three decades ago.

The elaborate rehabilitation plan, which the General Assembly is expected to approve soon, is the third in a decade. Like many other urgent items on the United Nations agenda, the mission has met with repeated delays.

Hesham Mohamed Eman Afifi, an Egyptian diplomat, said at budget committee hearings last month that the only element of the project that had stayed on schedule was the periodic bill received by member states.

The first plan was halted in 2005 when the New York State Legislature, angry about diplomats’ unpaid parking tickets, mismanagement of the Iraq oil-for-food program and what lawmakers viewed as the United Nations’ anti-Israel bias, refused to pass enabling legislation to construct a new annex on an underused city playground next door.

The second was abandoned a year later after its architect, Louis Frederick Reuter IV, a veteran of large project management in New York, grew tired of fighting persistent objections from Congress and United Nations bureaucrats. He resigned.

The author of the new plan is Michael Adlerstein, 62, an affable Brooklyn-born former National Park Service architect involved in the preservations of Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the New York Botanical Garden and the Taj Mahal and a man with 20 years of experience dealing with lawmakers in Washington.

“I think there is now a general tone that I have found of total support to get this thing done,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with many of the member states on a one-to-one basis — the U.S. one of them — and I have found nothing but support.”

He is unfazed by the problems that have plagued past plans.

“I took the job because it’s an ideal challenge for an architect at this point in my career,” he said. “It’s an iconic building of great stature in the world. You can show a picture of this building to people in remote, rural locations in the world and everyone will know it.”

While the famous exteriors will be unchanged, the insides will be brought up to 21st century standards of efficiency and security and reconfigured to consume 40 percent less energy.

The glass curtain wall will be replaced by a heavily laminated one that appears identical but is far stronger and able to withstand the blast of a bomb attack.

Energy-saving additions include sensors that turn off lights in unoccupied rooms and solar power systems.

“Ten years from now there will be no way to tell that the U.N. was renovated unless you look at the Con Ed bill,” Mr. Adlerstein said. He said that he was well aware of the bribery scandals that have scarred the reputation of the United Nations procurement department but that Skanska, the Swedish company that is the construction manager, and his own people would make sure nothing like that recurred.

“Skanska has its audits,” he said. “We have our own audits. There are several different levels of oversight to make sure this is done right. It will be done right. There’s too much money at risk here not to do it right.”

The cost of the project will be borne by the 192 member states in supplementary annual dues over the five-year period, with the United States responsible for 22 percent, or $413 million. The United Nations has leased office floors in a building at 305 East 46th Street and is negotiating for space nearby and in Lower Manhattan and Long Island City.

Impatience comes slowly to the United Nations, but the timing seems to be right for Mr. Adlerstein. “The only question I get now,” he said, “is ‘You’re not going to leave, are you?’”

[ZZ-II]

great news! :)

[Jim856796]

During the UN Headquarters's renovation, the United Nations needs 4 office buildings scattered throughout Manhattan and a temporary conference hall on the north lawn.

[hkskyline]

U.N. leases offices in N.Y. Picks building in midtown
27 March 2008
The Washington Times

The United Nations yesterday said it has leased 15 floors of midtown office space, crossing the final logistical hurdle before the nearly $2 billion renovation begins in June.

The organization will shift some 1,800 employees to a Madison Avenue glass tower for up to six years, while the iconic Secretariat Building is stripped down to the concrete slab and rebuilt with modern systems and security.

The high price of temporary offices had threatened to derail the ambitious reconstruction effort, which includes the removal of asbestos-laden building materials, measures for the protection of visiting dignitaries and restoration of delicate historical architectural details.

The new space will run slightly more than $53 per foot per year - roughly half the going rate for comparable midtown office space. That works out to roughly $24 million per year.

The new location "will allow us to complete our swing-space needs while providing excellent proximity to the U.N. compound," said Michael Adlerstein, the architect who is overseeing the six-year plan.

He said the negotiations began in December and were vetted by U.N. procurement and the legal office.

The move will begin later this year or early next year.

The organization would not normally be able to afford 460,000 square feet of office space at 380 Madison Ave., an increasingly empty office tower on one corner of 47th Street.

Due to a complicated land lease, however, the office building is to become vacant in 2014, and few companies want to move into a building for only six years.

The building's owner, New York real estate titan Sheldon Solow, has a tangled history with the United Nations.

Mr. Solow is said to have opposed - loudly and powerfully - the organization's construction of a new building on city space at 42nd Street and First Avenue, just a few yards south of the U.N. compound. The New York State Senate finally denied the United Nations permission to build on the site in 2004.

Now Mr. Solow has offered the United Nations space in the office tower he plans to construct on the site of a former Con Edison power plant just one block south of the U.N. compound. The organization is an appealing tenant, unlikely to be affected by economic downturns. It could also be a magnet for international organizations or foreign missions seeking nearby space.

That office tower, as well as a half-dozen residential towers, was to have received the go-ahead last night by the New York City Council.

However, the United Nations has millions of square feet of nearby office space, almost all of it at deeply discounted rates.

These leases, which can cost as little as $23 per square foot - one-quarter of the prevailing prices - do not expire until 2023, giving the organization plenty of breathing room.

[Harkeb]

The UN should move out of the USA, to a neutral territory. Jerusalem should become the World Capital administered by the UN. Most of the world's political problems would be solved that way, as neither Palestine nor Israel would lay claims to it anymore. Besides, it's a very central location.

[philvia]

^^lol.


everything about that is wrong.

[milquetoast]

That is a lot of money for a largly ineffectual, over-glorified diners' club :ohno:

[cornish pasty]

The UN should move out of the USA, to a neutral territory. Jerusalem should become the World Capital administered by the UN. Most of the world's political problems would be solved that way, as neither Palestine nor Israel would lay claims to it anymore. Besides, it's a very central location.

I've heard that even after all the move proposals, a lot of the UN workers don't want to leave because they like being in New York too much :)

That is a lot of money for a largly ineffectual, over-glorified diners' club :ohno:

While the UN does have its faults, it's actually done quite a bit regarding peacekeeping and disarmament, with a decline in the amount of armed conflicts since the end of the Cold War thanks to international activism such as the UN. And all on an annual budget totalling the same amount as the Pentagon spends in 32 hours. The UN's ineffectiveness is mostly down to its lack of any real power, due to nations' fear of losing sovereignty.

[hkskyline]

NYC suspends school visits to UN over fire safety concerns; world body says buildings are safe
10 September 2008

NEW YORK (AP) - The city and the United Nations, which have tussled for years over parking tickets and property taxes, are now squabbling over schoolchildren -- specifically, whether it's safe for them to visit U.N. headquarters.

The nation's largest school system said this week it was halting trips to the landmark complex over concerns about fire hazards, though the U.N. insists the buildings are safe.

"We feel that it's very unfortunate that children in this area -- in the host city, in our neighborhood -- can't come visit," U.N. spokeswoman Soung-ah Choi said Wednesday.

The city's decision affects only local public school pupils, who account for many of the roughly 50,000 students who tour the U.N.'s midtown Manhattan headquarters each year. The U.N. draws about 500,000 visitors of all ages annually.

The dispute comes as the city seeks more say on fire safety in buildings owned by governmental agencies now exempt from city regulations and inspections. Two firefighters died in an August 2008 blaze in a government-owned skyscraper near ground zero that was rife with safety violations.

City officials who were allowed to inspect the U.N. in 2006 and early 2007 found 866 violations, according to a letter Monday from Marjorie B. Tiven, the city's U.N. liaison. The complex, which dates to 1951, is just beginning its first major overhaul.

The inspectors called for new sprinklers, smoke detectors, exit signs and fire doors, among other things. Tiven, who also is Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sister, said many problems have been fixed but the world body failed to install fire doors in some areas of the 39-story Secretariat building and corridors underneath the complex.

"Given that they haven't competed these critical safety projects, we're not comfortable sending schoolchildren on tours," Bloomberg spokesman Jason Post said Wednesday.

Tiven said fire officials had recommended canceling all tours, a suggestion the U.N. has rebuffed.

The U.N.'s experts have declared the complex safe, Choi said, adding that the U.N. changed tour routes and spent $3 million to meet the city's demands. Any remaining issues will be rendered moot by a $1.9 billion makeover that began in May, she said.

The work is expected to take until 2013. It entails shifting roughly 5,000 employees from the Secretariat tower to other locations, including a temporary building under construction on the complex's lawn.

The complex along the East River was designed by an international team, including the renowned Swiss-born architect Le Corbusier. About 39 million people have visited since tours began in 1952.

While the U.N. has been a mainstay of some school tour schedules, the city teachers' union said it supported the city's move.

"We always have to put kids' safety first," United Federation of Teachers spokesman Ron Davis said.

[J_Al_es]

But where´s the render for the building?

[cornish pasty]

It's not a new building, they're just renovating the old one.

[cornish pasty]

Construction of the temporary building on the North Lawn

31 October 2008

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/8310/204405rb4.jpg

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9492/204406zd5.jpg

Images: UN Photo