Have you ever worried about a building?
I do every time I see the USUN building. It always looks as though it is about to be swallowed by the two dark, 44-story towers rising on either side of it. They seem to squeeze the light-colored, 22-story building like a python wrapping itself around its prey.
USUN stands for the United States Mission to the United Nations. Located directly across from the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, the building was designed by Gwathmey Siegel and completed in 2011, replacing a more modest 1960s structure by architect Ely Jacques Kahn.
Despite its seemingly delicate appearance, the USUN building is anything but fragile. Herbert Muschamp, the architecture critic for The New York Times, once described it as a “high-rise bomb shelter” because of the extensive security measures incorporated into its design after the September 11 attacks. For example, the first six floors have no windows, reducing the risk of injuries from flying glass in the event of an explosion.
The “python” towers surrounding it are One United Nations Plaza and Two United Nations Plaza, administrative buildings associated with the United Nations. They were designed by architects Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo, who had previously worked with Eero Saarinen.
📍United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN) / 799 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017
