NYC - United Nations Headquarters, by wallyg at flickr A woman appears to have fallen or jumped from a very high floor of the U.N. Secretariat Building at 405 East 42nd St. early today. Per wcbstv.com, U.N. security personnel escorted detectives and NYPD officers to the rear of the building, where the woman's body was splayed out on the lawn. She was quickly covered with a sheet and the area was cordoned with yellow......

The United Nations is finally moving ahead with plans to renovate its headquarters on Manhattan's East Side. The organization selected Swedish contractor Skanska AB to head up the preconstruction phase of the $1 billion project. Never known for being quick on its feet, a U.N. renovation project has been talked about since the mid-90s and is scheduled to take place in three phases over seven years, starting in early 2008. During each phase of......

There's a fun NY Times City section article about the Queens Museum of Art's Panorama Challenge. The Queens Museum of Art's panorama is a to-scale model of New York City: One inch equals 100 feet (the Empire State Building is 15 inches tall) and the model was originally designed for the 1964 World's Fair, as a "helicopter" ride over New York City. (And, yes, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses commissioned the panorama in 1964, just......

The United Nations has approved a $1.9 billion plan to renovate the Secretariat building. The different member states have to pay their shares either in lump sums or yearly installments (what's the interest plan on that?) and the U.S. would be paying the biggest share - 22% - which Congress needs to approve. Here is outgoing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Statement: The Secretary-General welcomes the adoption of the resolution on the Capital Master Plan......

Awesome photo of the U.N. Secretariat Building by Kieranpmoore via Contribute.......

As part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the United Nations, the international organization is giving free tours on Sundays this month. Gothamist went to the UN this past Sunday for a tour which lasted all of 30 minutes. During the tour, which seems to be English only (the regular tour costs $11.50 for adults and is in multiple languages), the guides point out several murals and gifts to the UN and visitors are......

With the urgent need to renovate their asbestos-filled and cramped headquarters on the East River, the United Nations is considering a move to Brooklyn. Seriously. Over a year ago, the U.N. selected Fumihiko Maki to design their new temporary space on First Avenue, a "glassy, white and sheer but elegant building," but the NY State Senate rejected the plan, so the U.N. had to hunt again for space starting in 2007. There are reports that......