Most New Yorkers are familiar with the United Nations headquarters located in Turtle Bay. Its International Style Secretariat and General Assembly Buildings have become icons of the skyline of Manhattan’s East Side. It might come as a surprise that the General Assembly and the Security Council have not always met at this location. From its humble beginnings at London’s Central Methodist Hall to Paris’ Palais de Chaillot, the United Nations was a vagabond until gaining its permanent home. Here, we explore 5 locations in which the United Nations has been housed in the State of New York.

1. Henry Hudson Hotel, Manhattan

The Henry Hudson Hotel was constructed in 1929 as the American Woman’s Association, which was led by J.P. Morgan’s daughter, Anne Morgan. The hotel, which was designed by Benjamin Wistar Morris, was constructed across the street from the proposed site of the Metropolitan Opera House. The building had 1,250 rooms, a swimming pool, gym, meeting rooms, a restaurant, and music rooms. In 1941, insolvent, the association sold the building and it was converted to the Henry Hudson Hotel.

In 1946, the hotel served as one of locations the transient United Nations Security Council used to meet. It was also where the International Health Conference was held, which led to the creation of the World Health Organization. It was remodeled in 1999, but still retains much of its original character.