Dag Hammarskjöld Library

The Dag Hammarskjold Library is a hidden marvel of design, constructed with white marble, glass, and aluminum to create an effect of luminous transparency. Although the building stands six stories tall, half of its structure is hidden entirely underground. This subterranean design was a necessity, as the library needed to hold hundreds of thousands of books and massive archives without exceeding the load-bearing limits of the site. The building was funded by a six million dollar grant from the Ford Foundation, and its completion in nineteen sixty-one marked a major upgrade from the previous office space that had been serving as an inadequate, makeshift library for the United Nations.