UN Renovation Costs Skyrockets

The cost to renovate the iconic UN building in New York City is now expected to cost $1.9 billion.

The U.N. General Assembly yesterday approved a top-to-bottom renovation of its landmark Manhattan headquarters building that is expected to cost $1.9 billion and take seven years.

The main U.N. building, a 39-story aluminum, glass and marble tower that houses the U.N. secretariat, is considered an outstanding example of modern architecture.

But after 54 years, its roof leaks, it is riddled with asbestos and it lacks fire detectors, a sprinkler system or other emergency safety devices.

Renovation was first envisioned in 2002, with the cost seen at that time to be about $1 billion.

But the price tag has since soared, due to construction delays, security improvements, and failure to convince the state Legislature to approve a new office building to provide temporary space for staff during the work.

The project is to be financed by increases in the dues paid by all U.N. member nations on a sliding scale. That will put the poorest nations' share at a little under $2 million each. The United States, which picks up the tab for 22 percent of the regular U.N. budget, will pay more than $400 million.

That's an increase over earlier estimates, which as of last year were $1.2 billion, and is so far out of whack that the UN could simply knock down the entire building and start from scratch.

Consider that 7WTC was built for less than that. In fact, it cost less than half. $700 million was spent to build the gleaming skyscraper in Lower Manhattan, and we're supposed to believe that the renovations at the UN building in Midtown are going to cost double?

Something is rotten in Turtle Bay. And it's the UN that is a veritable cesspool of corruption, kickbacks, and cost projections that are out of whack for what needs to be done with the building.