How a failed dream turned into the UN headquarters

Before the United Nations called New York City home, this current stretch of Manhattan had a very different name—and an even stranger future in mind.

It was once known as Slaughterhouse Row, a gritty district of meatpacking plants, until a bold developer dreamed of turning it into a futuristic city. That dream collapsed, but what happened next changed global diplomacy forever.

Produced by Manuel Scheuernstuhl

Filmed by Manuel Scheuernstuhl, Susan Pinchiaroli, Jesse Mico