75 years of ECLAC and ECLAC thinking
ECLAC building
Construction of the ECLAC building
View from the roof of the perimeter ring towards "the Caracol" (the spiral shaped tower of the building) during the construction works of the ECLAC building.
ECLAC, Santiago, (ca. 1965)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
ECLAC offices in Chile
Exterior view of ECLAC offices.
Santiago, November 7, 2003
Credit: UN Photo
ECLAC headquarters building
Panoramic view of the ECLAC headquarters building. On the right side you can see the CELADES (Population Division) building.
ECLAC, Santiago, (ca. 2006)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
ECLAC building
Lateral view towards "the Caracol" and glass bridge and lateral access (west).
ECLAC, Santiago, July 1968
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
ECLAC headquarters building
ECLAC building, rear view.
Santiago, (ca. 1968)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
ECLAC headquarters building
View of the facade of the ECLAC building in Santiago, Chile.
Santiago, May 1968
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
The President of Chile Eduardo Frei Montalva and UN Secretary-General U Thant along with other personalities touring the ECLAC building
Visit of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant to ECLAC Santiago. Eduardo Frei Montalva, the President of Chile and U Thant, Secretary-General of the United Nations are walking down the stairs of the central Caracol (the spiral shaped tower of the ECLAC building) with a group of high-level representatives.
Santiago, August 29, 1966
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Exterior view of the central spiral of the ECLAC building on its inauguration day
Exterior view of the central spiral ("el Caracol") of the ECLAC building. Some people are leaning out on the terrace, presumably U Thant, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and other high-level representatives.
Santiago, August 29, 1966
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
The President of Chile, Eduardo Frei Montalva printing his hand on the cement plate
Eduardo Frei Montalva, the President of the Republic of Chile is printing his hand on the cement plate. With the presence of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, U Thant and other authorities and officials at the inauguration ceremony of the ECLAC building.
ECLAC, Santiago, August 29, 1966
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
UN Secretary-General U Thant printing his hands on a cement plate at the inauguration of the ECLAC building
Visit of U Thant, Secretary-General of the United Nations to Chile on the occasion of the inauguration of the ECLAC building in Santiago, August 29, 1966. The photograph shows U Thant at the moment of printing his hands on cement plates; together with Eduardo Frei Montalva, the President of the Republic of Chile, who is cleaning his hands after printing his own.
Santiago, Chile, August 29, 1966
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
ECLAC headquarters building
View of the facade of the ECLAC building from the gardens with flags.
Santiago, (ca. mid-1960s)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Construction of the ECLAC building
General plan of the ECLAC building.
Santiago, (ca. mid-1960s)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Construction of the ECLAC building
Aerial view of the ECLAC architectural complex during the construction stage.
Santiago, (ca. 1965)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Raúl Prebisch laying the first stone for the construction of the ECLAC building
Raul Prebisch, lays down the first stone for the construction of the United Nations Building, headquarters of ECLAC, in Santiago, Chile.
Vitacura Park, Santiago, May 13, 1961
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Construction of the ECLAC building
View of the lateral (west) wall of the ECLAC building complex.
Santiago, (ca. 1965)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Construction of the ECLAC building
Gross work of the ECLAC building during the construction stage. Side view of the building.
Santiago, (ca. 1964)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Construction of the ECLAC building
General plan of the ECLAC Building under construction.
Santiago, (ca. 1960s)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Site of the future ECLAC headquarters
A visit to the site in Parque Vitacura where the new headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) was going to be built. From left to right: Mr. Julio Valdés from CEPAL; Mr. Ole Danielson, Director of ECLAC's Administrative Division; Mr. Louis Swenson, ECLAC Deputy Executive Secretary and Mr. Pedro Álvarez, ECLAC Consultant for the Architecture Competition in connection with the construction of the new headquarters.
Santiago, July 15, 1960
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Architectural planning of the ECLAC headquarters building
Architectural model of the new ECLAC building.
Santiago, Chile, June 1961
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Model of the winning project of the architectural competition for the construction of the UN building in Chile
ECLAC staff members look at the model of the winning project of the competition to select the plans for a new building in this city, which will house the ECLAC offices as well as other United Nations agencies with offices in Santiago. The winning project was presented jointly by the architects Emilio Duhart, Roberto Goycochea, Cristian de Groote and Oscar Santelices.
Santiago, November 1960
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Architectural planning of the ECLAC headquarters building
Architectural drawing of the ECLAC building. Winning project of the "United Nations building preliminary project competition in Santiago de Chile".
(ca. 1961)
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Public exhibition of the winning project of the architectural competition for the construction of the UN in Chile
Public exhibition at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, where the winning plans were exhibited, as well as the other thirty-nine entries in the contest to select the plans for a new United Nations building, in Santiago, Chile. A view of the winning project is appreciated, presented jointly by the associated architects Emilio Duhart, Roberto Goycochea, Cristian de Groote and Oscar Santelices
Santiago, November 1960
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
Architectural planning of the ECLAC headquarters building
ECLAC staff members observe the model of the winning project in the competition to select the plans for a new building in Santiago, Chile, which will house the offices of ECLAC and other agencies. The winning project was presented jointly by the architects Emilio Duhart, Roberto Goycochea, Cristian de Groote and Oscar Santelices.
Santiago, November 1960
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
The jury selects the finalists in the project competition for the UN building in Chile
The competition to select the plans for a new building that will house the offices of the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) and other United Nations agencies in this city closed on September 30, 1960. The members of the international jury designated to select the best plan from among those submitted to the competition have now selected the finalists whose projects are being sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who will name the winner of the competition. The photograph shows the members of the jury pining for the projects selected as finalists in the contest. The members of the jury are (from left to right) Mr. Ole Danielson, Director of ECLAC's Administration Division; Mr. Sergio Larrain G.M., Architect; Mr. Henrique Mindlin, Architect, Brazil; Dr. Raúl Prebisch, Executive Secretary of ECLAC and Mr. Jorge Aguirre, President of the College of Architects of Chile, who acted as Secretary of the Jury.
Santiago, October 1960
Credit: ECLAC, United Nations
ECLA Committee of the Whole considers financial arrangements for the construction of the headquarters building in Santiago
Here, shortly before the meeting got under way, Dr. Jorge Illueca (left), Deputy Permanent Representative of Panama to the UN pauses for a chat with the UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. The Committee of the Whole of the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) met for an extraordinary session this afternoon to consider financial arrangements for the construction of a headquarters building of the Commission on Land in Santiago, Chile.
United Nations, New York, October 1, 1958
Credit: UN Photo
The United Nations Building in Chile, the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is one of the most outstanding works of modern architecture of the 1960s in Chile. Nearly two hundred professionals participated in the design competition held in September 1960. Four of the forty entries were selected by an international jury at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The winning project was developed by the architects Emile Duhart, with the collaboration of Roberto Goycoolea, Christian de Groote and Oscar Santelices. The team that developed the project was completed with the participation of the engineers César Barros and Harmut Vogel.
The ECLAC building was inaugurated on August 29, 1966 by the President of Chile Eduardo Frei Montalva and the Secretary General of the United Nations, U-Thant. Experts consider the building a landmark of modern Latin American architecture and the Chilean Government has included it in its list of historic sites that make up the nation's cultural heritage.
Documents related to the construction of the ECLAC building
Resolution 138(VII): Building for ECLA in ChileCall Number: LC/RES.138(VII)Publication Date: 1957-05Publicado en: En: Informe anual (15 mayo 1956-29 mayo 1957) - E/CN.12/451 - 1957 - p. 38-39
Evento(s): NU. CEPAL. Período de Sesiones 7 La Paz 15-29 mayo 1957
UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/1273(XIII) : Construction of the United Nations building in Santiago, Chile.Publication Date: 1958-11Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas- Decimotercer Período de Sesiones
Resolution 143(AC.40): United Nations building in SantiagoCall Number: LC/RES.143(AC.40)Publication Date: 1958Publicado en: Informe anual (30 mayo 1957-8 abril 1958) - E/3091 - 1958 - p. 18-19
Evento(s): NU. CEPAL. Comité Plenario. Período de Sesiones 6 Santiago 7-8 abril 1958
Report to the Secretary-General on proposals for financing a building for ECLACall Number: E/CN.12/AC.39/1Publication Date: 1957-05-28Comité ad hoc sobre el edificio para la CEPAL, La Paz, Bolivia, 28 de mayo.de 1957
Proposals for the Financing of a United Nations Building in Santiago, ChileCall Number: E/CN.12/AC.41/2Publication Date: 1958-08-04Evento(s): NU. CEPAL. Comité Plenario. Reunión Extraordinaria 1 Nueva York 1-3 octubre 1958
Report by the Secretariat on the United Nations building in Santiago, ChileCall Number: E/CN.12/574Publication Date: 1961-03Evento(s): NU. CEPAL. Período de Sesiones 9 Santiago 4-15 mayo 1961
Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the gift programme for the United Nations building in Santiago, ChileCall Number: E/CN.12/676Publication Date: 1963-04-10ECLAC Período de Sesiones 10 Mar del Plata 6-18 May 1963
El edificio de las Naciones Unidas en Santiago de Chile by Call Number: ECLA/30-55-9Publication Date: 1966
El edificio de las Naciones Unidas en Santiago de ChilePublication Date: 1966Noticias de la CEPAL Año 1966 N° 7
ECLAC: symbols of Latin America and the CaribbeanPublication Date: 2006
Emilio Duhart: re-imagining modernism in Finnis Terrae by Publication Date: 2021Thesis (Master of Arts) presented to the Faculty of the Department of History of Design and Curatorial Studies. The New School - Parsons School of Design.
