Hidden Roxy apartment at Radio City
Photo Courtesy of MSG Entertainment

New York City is full of enviable addresses, but some of the most desirable residences might be ones you never even knew existed. Inside famous New York City landmarks like Radio City Music and the historic branches of the New York Public Library, there are hidden apartments. These secret abodes were created for a variety of reasons, from convenience and necessity to pure whim. Read on to uncover 9 hidden apartments:

1. United Nations Apartment

UN Secretary General apartment
Living Room of United Nations Secretary-General apartment in the UN Headquarters in 1953. UN Photo/MB.

The 38th floor of the United Nations Headquarters once housed a private hidden apartment for the UN Secretary-General. This apartment was in use from the 1950s through 2016. It was comprised of a living room with large windows, a modest kitchen and bathroom, a bedroom, and a private conference room. The apartment shared the floor with the offices of the Secretary-General and his direct staff. U.N. Secretary Hammarskjöld filled the apartment with paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Fernand Leger, Fritz Glarner, and Juan Gris from The Museum of Modern Art and it boasted some great mid-century furniture.

No. 3 Sutton Place, a townhouse acquired by the UN in 1972 now serves as a residence for the Secretary-General since the 38th-floor apartment was converted into offices and conference rooms in 2016. The conversion of the apartment was part of the Capital Master Project, a $2.1 billion renovation of the United Nations Complex. You can see vintage photos of the hidden 38th-floor apartment here!