Detroit possible home for the UN?

[Shollin]

It was an idea that was floated out there. Not that I would've wanted the UN to be located on Belle Isle, but what if the UN did chose Detroit?

http://www.freep.com/article/2013040...lle-Isle-1940s

[Hypestyles]

heh.. wow.. another opportunity lost.

[Ray1936]

I saw that today on facebook and was amazed. It would have meant many headaches [[just ask the NYPD), but sure would have made things interesting.

[Johnnny5]

What a security nightmare that would have been! On an international border with dozens of foreign flagged freighters passing by every day and only one way on and off.

[Richard]

You already have one nuclear ticking time bomb what would have been one more.

I wonder how many red flags I threw up there lol

[Jason]

There were a lot of cities trying to land the hq. I don't think Detroit got too far into their considerations. There was a city in Canada [[I forget which) that got close though.

[WKL]

My sister used work in Manhattan down by the UN. She hated it [[the UN, not the job). Diplomates parked wherever they liked - double, triple parked. Secruity screwing up a walk to the subway. Just a pain in ass for the folks who actually had to work around it.

[poobert]

This isn't really nuts. Detroit in 1940 was they 4th most populous city in the country. While most seem to like to harken back to the 50's and 60's Detroit nostalgia, in terms of global importance, the 1940's for Detroit were huge.

Take into account the international border and lack of historical baggage [[Philadelphia essentially served as our capitol in the early days of the Republic) and I'd say this may have had a better chance than our Olympic bids.

What-if's are a somewhat pointless exercise, but I think it is safe to say the city would be vastly different if the UN were here. This would have been a superblock project that probably would have had serious impact.