2. The UN Has a Massive Subterranean Complex
Here’s a secret most people don’t know: the United Nations has a massive subterranean complex that is only accessible to delegates and staff. It goes down two basement levels below what most people refer to as “the basement,” which is actually only the First Basement. On these levels there are offices, a gym for staff, maintenance and storage facilities. There is also a parking lot for UN vehicles and diplomatic cars. In other tunnel news, there is also a seventy-foot wide vehicular tunnel that was built under 1st Avenue from 42nd to 48th Street as part of the construction for the United Nations. The tunnel cost $2.28 million at that time and a familiar name was involved: Robert Moses, who was listed as the City Construction Coordinator.
Another fun fact: The United Nations headquarters is cooled using East River water, one of the few buildings left in New York City that does so. The vertical brass-colored tubes on the interior of the entrance facade to the General Assembly building are decorative but are also pipes that carry the cooling system for the building. According to Jonathan Mishal of Visit UN, units are located in the river that are cooled down by the water and send cool air back to the United Nations buildings. Due to potential environmental concerns, this practice is not permitted in New York City but in the recent renovation of the United Nations, the organization asked permission from the city of New York to continue this practice. If not, they would have had to add heating and cooling units on the roof of the building which would alter the design of the building.
