Library Building
"The Dag Hammarskj?ld Library is built of white marble, glass, and aluminum. The building consists of six floors and a penthouse, three floors are below ground. Architectural firm Harrison, Abramovitz & Harris, alongside George A. Fuller Construction Co. and designer Richard Craig, oversaw the project.
There are two large abstract murals commissioned for the Library building: Composition for Concave Wall by Bo Beskow of Sweden and Relational Painting No. 90 by Fritz Glarner of the United States.
The library has a 200-person auditorium, two large reading rooms, and many reference collections. The library serves as a center for delegates, Secretariat members, and accredited representatives of the press and organizations. The collections are about political, legal, social, economic, and geographical conditions in many nations, with texts in multiple languages. "
"United Nations Secretary-General U Thant (1909-1974) noted the many collaborators that brought this project to its dedication in 1961, including the efforts of former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskj?ld (1905-1961) himself.
U Thant said, we now dedicate this new library… “not as a moment but as a center of research and learning inspired by his zest for knowledge and his earnest search for truth.”
The many supporters of the project included the Ford Foundation, with a $6.2 million grant for building construction, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, who contributed a League of Nations document collection, Andrew W. Cordier who served as USG of General Assembly and Related Affairs during 1946 – 1961, and the many architects, designers, engineers and artists. "