 = Residence of the United States Ambassador to the United Nations = 
 
 The residence of the United States Ambassador to the United Nations is the official residence of the United States Ambassador to the United Nations . As of 2016 it was located in a suite of rooms on the 42nd floor of the Waldorf @-@ Astoria Hotel in New York City leased by the U.S. Department of State . Described in press reports as " palatial " , the establishment of the current residence in 1947 marked the first time in history that an ambassadorial residence had been located in a hotel . 
 
 = = History = = 
 
 
 = = = Background = = = 
 
 Beginning in 1947 , shortly after the siting of the United Nations secretariat in New York , the U.S. State Department took a long @-@ term lease for occupancy of a suite of rooms by the U.S. ambassador at the Waldorf @-@ Astoria , a luxury hotel constructed in 1931 . The establishment of the ambassador 's residence at the Waldorf @-@ Astoria made it the first hotel in history to house an ambassadorial residence . In 1960 , a townhouse at Sutton Place , originally constructed by J.P. Morgan in 1921 , was donated to the U.S. government by then owner Arthur Houghton with the intention it be used as a new ambassadorial residence . However , ambassador Adlai Stevenson II determined the home was not to his liking and the residence continued at the Waldorf @-@ Astoria . ( The Sutton Place townhouse was subsequently re @-@ gifted by the United States to the United Nations and currently serves as the official residence of the Secretary @-@ General of the United Nations . ) 
 In 1978 , Ebony reported that Andrew Young and his family explored the possibility of moving out of the suite at the Waldorf @-@ Astoria and into a house instead . Young , who was the first ambassador to live in the suite with " young children " , stated that " [ t ] he Waldorf is very nice , and its convenient , but I just have problems trying to bring up a small child in a hotel . " However , the search ultimately " became a media issue " and Young elected to stay in the suite . Nevertheless , he opined that " [ p ] eople tried to make it seem like I was saying that the Waldorf wasn 't good enough for us " . 
 As of 1999 , the State Department was paying $ 360 @,@ 000 per year to lease the suite on a rolling basis ; the lease is renewed every ten years with an optional one or two year short @-@ term extension . In 2015 , it was announced the State Department would no longer permit staff to be housed at the Waldorf @-@ Astoria , due to security concerns arising from the recent purchase of the property by Chinese business interests . Whether the decision would impact the status of the residence was not made clear , however , as of March 2016 the hotel was still being occupied by the U.S. ambassador . 
 
 = = = Notable residents = = = 
 
 Madeleine Albright , George H. W. Bush , John Bolton , Adlai Stevenson II , Samantha Power , and Bill Richardson are among notable former residents of the suite . During his tenure as ambassador , Richard Holbrooke elected not to occupy the 42nd floor apartment , choosing instead to live in his private Manhattan home . In his place , the residence was temporarily occupied by Holbrooke 's assistant , then 27 @-@ year old Randolph Eddy . According to reports , Holbrooke and his wife , journalist Kati Marton , would throw " glittery parties " in the suite " where pols and foreign ministers mixed with the likes of Robert De Niro and Sarah Jessica Parker . " As of July 2014 , Power lived in the suite with her husband , Harvard Law School professor Cass Sunstein , and their two young children . 
 
 = = Design = = 
 
 The suite is located on " the very top floor " of the Waldorf @-@ Astoria Hotel . Described in press accounts as " palatial , " the residence is decorated with , among other items , a Jim Dine painting , an Alexander Calder mobile , and a grand piano , and features " twinkling city views " of the New York skyline . The front door to the suite is framed by a golden eagle . It is located on the opposite side of the corridor from the " royal suite " , so @-@ called as it was long used by the Duke of Windsor as his unofficial New York City residence . 
 As of 1971 , the interior of the suite was sectioned into nine rooms , including five bedrooms and a living room with a 48 @-@ foot ( 15 m ) tall ceiling , which was used to " host large official receptions . " Dorothy Bush Koch noted that the apartment was designed with " high ceilings , handsome old woodwork , working fireplaces , and big windows with beautiful views of New York City . " 
 
 